Commission approves Main Street design amendment, change order and temporary solar lights

Chelsea (staff member) told the Mooresville Redevelopment Commission that construction on Main Street revealed an AT&T utility line at a shallower depth than expected, requiring additional survey and design work to lower the boring depth and extend drainage improvements onto Harrison Street.

She asked the board to approve Amendment No. 5 to the Banning Engineering agreement for $8,000 to perform the required survey and engineering design; the commission approved the amendment by voice vote.

Staff then described Change Order 2 for the ongoing Main Street construction. The posted paperwork initially showed an apparent additional cost of $65,262.37, but Chelsea clarified the item for temporary lighting would be removed and the net change order amount to be approved was $46,362.37, leaving an estimated contingency balance of $39,705.42. The board approved Change Order 2 by voice vote.

On the related question of interim lighting for downtown businesses during construction, staff recommended purchasing temporary solar lights rather than renting. Chelsea said the top unit quoted was $2,100 each and recommended buying eight units (four on each side of Indiana Avenue) for a total purchase price of $16,800; she noted relocation would cost $787.50 per move and that the lights could be reused by the town for events. A motion to purchase the solar lights passed by voice vote.

Staff also reported the project remains on track and that some change orders and additional construction observation time likely will generate further requests later in the project. Chelsea warned that Banning had budgeted eight months of construction observation when contracted but the project is expected to exceed that period and a future change order from Banning for additional observation—possibly in the $100,000 range—may be forthcoming.

What happened: the commission approved the immediate $8,000 engineering amendment, approved the clarified change order, and authorized the temporary solar-light purchase. Staff said they will bring the actual change‑order pricing for Harrison Street construction back to the board after final design.