Casey Township Culvert Draws Lone Bid of $531,192, Over Estimate

Clark County Board | June 18, 2026

Article Summary: A box culvert replacement on 450th Road in Casey Township drew a single construction bid of $531,192 against an engineer’s estimate of $408,561, and the Clark County Board voted June 18 to award the work to Samron Midwest Contracting. County Engineer Dallas Richardson told the board there are not enough contractors to bid jobs.

Casey Township Culvert Project Key Points:

The engineer’s estimate for the box culvert replacement on 450th Road was $408,561; the only bid received was $531,192 — more than $122,000 above the estimate.

The board approved a resolution awarding Samron Midwest Contracting as low bid for Section #23-03124-00-BR.

Richardson attributed the thin bidding to a shortage of contractors available to bid jobs.

A material proposal for the Hogue Town project will be bid July 7, with a guardrail agreement and a pipeline joint agreement expected at the July 2026 board meeting.

CLARK COUNTY — The Clark County Board on Thursday, June 18, 2026, awarded a county highway contract to Samron Midwest Contracting after a box culvert replacement in Casey Township drew only one bid — a figure roughly 30% above what the county’s own engineer had estimated the job would cost.

County Engineer Dallas Richardson told the board the Highway Department is replacing a box culvert in Casey Township on 450th Road. The engineer’s estimate for the project was $408,561, Richardson said, and the only bid that came in was $531,192. The minutes record his explanation plainly: there are not enough contractors to bid jobs.

The resolution that followed, as recorded in the minutes, approved awarding Samron Midwest Contracting as low bid for Section #23-03124-00-BR. Guinnip moved its adoption and Mike Parsons seconded. The chairman put the question and all members present voted “aye.” Two of the board’s seven members, Darin Patrick of District 3 and Todd Kuhn of District 6, were absent.

The minutes introduce the resolution directly out of Richardson’s culvert discussion, stating that “the resolution to approve the bid is below.” The resolution itself was not included in the meeting materials, and the minutes do not restate the dollar amount, the project location or a resolution number within the award language — leaving the $531,192 figure available only from the discussion that preceded the vote.

Single-Bid Awards and the Contractor Pool

The award language describes the Samron Midwest Contracting bid as the “low bid” in a solicitation where, by the engineer’s account to the board, only one bid was submitted. The record does not indicate whether the county considered rebidding the project, whether it has the option to reject a bid exceeding the estimate, or what funding source will absorb the difference.

Richardson’s comment about the contractor pool was the only explanation offered on the record for the single response. Neither the minutes nor the agenda documents how many contractors were solicited, how many plan holders took out bid documents, or when bids were opened.

Other Highway Business

Richardson reported he is working on a material proposal that will be bid out July 7 for the Hogue Town project. A guardrail agreement and a pipeline joint agreement will also be submitted at the July 2026 board meeting, he said. The record does not describe the scope, cost or location of the Hogue Town project, or identify the parties to the two agreements.

On mowing, Richardson said weather has slowed the process but crews are mowing all around the county.

The board separately approved the county highway claims on a motion by Guinnip, seconded by Stephens, with all members present voting in favor. As with the general claims approved earlier in the meeting, the minutes record no dollar total for the highway claims and no claims register was included in the materials.

The board also voted to adjourn until its next regular meeting, set for July 17, 2026, at 8 a.m., when the guardrail and pipeline agreements are expected to come before members.