Mooresville awards $4.3 million tentative contract for East Center Avenue stormwater work after under-budget bids

The Town of Mooresville Board of Commissioners voted April 7 to tentatively award a construction contract to Blythe Development Company for the East Center Avenue Stormwater Improvements Project in an amount not to exceed $4,298,922.50, contingent on approval and authorization to construct by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Infrastructure.

Town engineer Ashley Walker and staff described the project as the final recommended high- and medium-priority item from the town’s 2016 stormwater master plan. The work includes full replacement of a failing culvert under East Center Avenue where Dye Creek crosses, installation of storm pipe and in-street structures from Church Street to Statesville Avenue, regenerative stormwater conveyances (infiltration trenches), rehabilitation of an existing culvert under McClellan Avenue, streambank stabilization and floodplain benching, drainage improvements on side streets and a 12-foot-wide greenway with a 10-foot paved path that will connect Willow Valley Park to Liberty Park.

“This project is not going to be the end all be all project to fix any flooding… but it should be an improvement,” Ashley Walker told the board, noting the work uses nature‑based solutions and native plantings to slow and treat runoff before it reaches the creek.

Funding and schedule: Walker said the low bid of roughly $4.3 million came in well below an engineer’s estimate of about $7.0 million. The town has $3.9 million in a Local Assistance for Stormwater Infrastructure (LASI) grant — ARPA funds — awarded in late 2022 for construction, plus an additional $1.5 million ARPA earmark. Walker noted ARPA-funded work must be completed and funds expended by Dec. 31, 2026. The contract duration is 530 days; the project’s culvert excavation will require a road closure that the town has limited in the contract to no more than 120 days.

Board questions and procurement checks: Commissioners asked why the low bid was so far below the engineer estimate and why it differed substantially from the other bids. Walker said staff and the design engineer canvassed the bid package, checked references, reviewed financial records and confirmed the apparent low bidder’s past performance on other town projects. Because the project uses state-deferred funds, the contract includes no internal contingency; Walker said change orders would require board approval and additional money has been reserved to cover non‑eligible or unforeseen work.

Motion and approval: Commissioner DeWeese moved to adopt a resolution of tentative award to Blythe Development Company in the amount not to exceed $4,298,922.50, contingent upon DEQ authorization; Commissioner Keriker seconded. The board approved the tentative award by voice vote.

Next steps: The town will await DEQ’s formal authorization, execute contract documents with performance and payment bonds, hold a preconstruction meeting and finalize the construction schedule. Staff said they plan to coordinate detours and communicate with schools and other stakeholders to reduce operational impacts during the culvert replacement.