Time for a change

Dan Watson is ready for a change.

He’s packed most of his belongings from the office; he’s briefed the highway superintendent. And now, the Jay County engineer resigning after more than 30 years in his position has got a new job.

“This will be something different,” said Watson on Monday. “I’ve done this for 32 years, and it’s like, wow, I’m actually taking the big step and moving on.”

By Wednesday, he was beaming like a kid on Christmas morning as he finished his work at the Jay County Highway Department garage.

He starts in January as a project coordinator for Beam, Longest and Neff, one of the largest engineering firms in Indiana. He’ll be working from home and checking in with seven or eight different counties regularly.

Watson, 59, wanted something to do for the next five or six years before he retires, he said. His family plans to stay in Dunkirk at least until his son, Jaiden, graduates high school in two years. He’s been actively involved in the city for years, having previously served as its mayor from 2013 to 2016. He’s also a current board of works member.

“Dan Watson is … an important piece of our puzzle here in Dunkirk,” said Mayor Jack Robbins.

The son of a Dunkirk native, Watson graduated from Delta High School and attended Tri-State University (now Trine University) in Angola. Watson graduated from college in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and started working for Indiana Department of Transportation in Indianapolis. He received his engineer’s license in 1987 and started working for Jay County in ’89.

Former commissioner Walt Rogers asked him to sign a four-year contract, Watson said, and the rest is history.

“I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to be an engineer in Jay County,” he said, adding that he didn’t expect to stay in the same position for so long. “It was just the right time, and the right place.”

When he started, bridges were his main concern. Many were in bad shape or closed. Out of 165 bridges, he estimates about 100 were replaced.

After bridges, he worked on installing large culverts, doing sign and road inventories, expanding the waste management landfill, and reviewing road asset management plans.

Watson worked with Jay County Sheriff’s Department in the 1990s to renumber all roads, creating a central grid system. He also inspected wind turbines and projects for wind farm development in the county.

In the last couple of years, Watson applied for and received about $2.5 million in Community Crossings grants from INDOT for reconstructing Como and Mt. Pleasant roads and Boundary Pike.

Former commissioner Milo Miller started working alongside Watson in 1991. He cited communication and responsibility as two of Watson’s key skills.

“If he saw something that needed to be done, he would come to us,” Miller said.

Others celebrated Watson’s knowledge and experience in the county. County auditor Anna Culy said she’s not sure what she’ll miss most, but she’ll realize it when he’s gone.

“I probably won’t even know … until I need to ask a question and I don’t know who to ask,” she said.

Watson confirmed his year-end resignation in November following a Jay County Council meeting in which council voted 4-3 to not increase his salary.

He asked for an $18,000 raise before the 2021 budget was finalized, citing an extra $20,000 the state now provides to all counties with licensed engineers. Council eventually voted not to give Watson the raise following a recommendation made by the personnel committee.

Watson decided after the meeting that it was time to move on to something new.

He still loves his job, he said, and he’s made many connections over the years who he’ll miss.

But, “I won’t miss getting up at 5 o’clock in the morning to make sure the snow plows are out,” Watson added.