Joe Waikel, left, and Brisin Kratzchmar of Robinson Construction are doing soffit work on the overhang of the front part of the new office building being built for the Kosciusko County Highway Department.

WARSAW — It was 1971 and the Kosciusko County Commissioners were Frederick Gilliam, Glenn Lowman and Maurice Dorsey. The county had obtained some land along what was still technically US 30 because the new Highway 30 had not officially been opened yet.

The Kosciusko County Highway Department had been located on Winona Avenue in Warsaw but moved to a new location on 30. W.J. Carey Construction was the general contractor for the project.

Certainly much has changed since 1971 including more tandem axle trucks, as well as bigger equipment and more pieces of equipment. Roughly a year ago, in March 2018 a project began to expand and update the county highway department facilities just outside the city limits of Warsaw on Old Road 30.

Additions are being built on the east and west ends of the existing shop and maintenance garage. A few improvements are being made to the existing building including some interior remodeling and painting. Also, there will be a new free standing office building near the existing office.

Included in the additions will be a bigger parts room, new offices for the shop foreman and parts supervisor, a wash bay for the trucks and a bituminous patch bay.

“These are needed improvements,” said Scott Tilden, highway department superintendent, noting the current facilities had been used since 1971, nearly 50 years ago. “We have a small, cramped office and the parts room is very small.”

A bituminous patch bay will allow for road patching materials to be placed inside, out of the weather, so they will last longer. And the new wash bay will allow for many trucks to be washed inside, though some trucks, such as those used to plow snow for a few days in a row, will still be washed outside.

As many as eight people are working in the current cramped office building. When the new building is finished, it will include better and larger training and meeting rooms. “I believe the new meeting room is designed to hold up to 65 people,” Tilden said.

Tilden and the assistant superintendent will each have larger offices. Tilden’s new office is at least double the size of his current one.

Also included in the new office building will be an area with bunks to be used during snow emergency situations. Tilden noted he has had to sleep on the floor a few times during emergency situations.

When the project is completed, the current office building will still be used for file storage and other types of storage. “We didn’t do much to the old shop, we just mainly added on to each end,” he added.

Robinson Construction, Warsaw, is the general contractor for the project and several sub-contractors are being used. South Bend architecture firm Hebard & Hebard was also utilized.

Tilden said the project is moving along pretty close to schedule and the estimated completion date is mid-March, though it will likely be early April until the new office is fully moved into.

An open house will likely be scheduled, but no date has been set yet.

Shown is the addition on one end of the shop and maintenance garage for the county highway department.