Mooresville delays Main in Motion bids to August 2025 after water‑main upgrade surfaces

The Mooresville Redevelopment Commission announced on Jan. 22 that bids for the Main in Motion project — a streetscape and infrastructure effort along Main Street from Monroe Street to Maple Lane — will open in August 2025, with construction expected to begin in 2026, after Indiana American Water told the town it intends to replace and upsize a water main in the same area.

The announcement, read at the commission meeting by the presiding officer, said coordinating the town’s work with Indiana American Water will “minimize disruptions and maximize efficiency” and help ensure the Main in Motion reconstruction is built on a “solid foundation.” The presiding officer read a prepared statement from staff member Chelsea Manns and said further updates will be posted at www.mooresville.in.gov/maininmotion.

Why it matters: The schedule change delays the town’s planned 2025 bid and construction timeline but aims to avoid tearing up new pavement if the utility replacement were to occur later. Commission members and project engineers said the adjustment is intended to reduce the risk of rework and produce a longer‑lasting finished street for residents, local businesses and emergency services.

Mark Butler of Banning Engineering told commissioners that utility companies in the project area were contacted last August and that firms including CenterPoint and AES have been notified and are preparing work plans. ‘‘To the best of our knowledge, the registered utilities that show location in our project area… are being worked out as we speak,’’ Butler said, adding he does not anticipate a wholesale rework of all utilities.

But Butler and other speakers described Indiana American Water’s schedule as the principal reason for the change. Commissioners said American Water’s internal review moved from preliminary plans to final design, triggering engineering steps that require the utility to install and test a new main and complete bacteriological approval before tie‑ins can happen — a process the town said would lengthen the timeline if the projects were done concurrently.

The commission also discussed a related storm‑water work that requires a permit from the railroad. Project staff said survey work showed the existing drainage outlets on the east side of Main Street sit very shallow (about a foot or less below the pavement). To provide a long‑term solution, engineers plan to install a deeper storm outlet and run a new storm line under the railroad using a jack‑and‑bore method so the railroad need not be cut open. The railroad permitting schedule is uncertain, staff said.

Commissioners said the town previously authorized additional design work related to the drainage and that the cost of the broader construction would come from the town’s tax‑increment financing (TIF) district; exact construction figures were not specified at the meeting. Commissioners referenced change‑order figures in discussion (transcript mentions amounts including $34,200 and $25,000) but said the full construction cost was larger and left the precise total unspecified for the public record.

Commissioners noted some contractors already expressed interest in the project; staff reported about a dozen contractors had shown preliminary interest. The commission said delaying the bid to August gives contractors the opportunity to bid in the usual fall cycle and may allow bidders to secure pricing for work beginning in 2026.

The commission said it will publish the news release and post updates promptly on the town website and Facebook page. No formal change to the project ordinance or contract award was voted on at the meeting; commissioners agreed to “table” any official motion to change the bid date and to revisit the timeline at a future meeting when legal counsel and project staff can be present.

The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn that passed by voice vote. The commission’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2025, at 6 p.m.