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Mooresville mayor: Projects, plans guide progress in 2021

The town of Mooresville is poised for continued but sustainable growth as it moves into a new year, according to Mayor Miles Atkins.

“We are hitting the ground running in 2021 with a number of projects that will be coming out of the ground and some very important studies that we feel can have an impact,” Atkins said.

Here is a look at the highlights of what’s to come:

Facility projects
Construction will begin soon on Mooresville Fire Station 6. The nearly $5 million station, in the Mooresville Business Park, will “help us maintain efficient service to the growing northeast quadrant of the town,” the mayor said.

  • Construction will begin in 2021 on a new $19 million, 49,000-square-foot Mooresville Police Department headquarters at the corner of U.S. 21 and West Wilson Avenue, at the edge of the town-owned Mooresville Golf Course. “As our population has doubled in the last 20 years and our department has grown, our headquarters facility has become inadequate,” Atkins said of the current building on West Iredell Avenue, which is half the size of what the new headquarters will be.
  • The town is looking at alternate uses for the current police facility, “which has the potential to be repurposed into a one-stop-shop building development/planning space as well as a home for our recreation offices and possibly other departments,” according to the mayor.

Transportation projects 

  • Work will begin in March on more than $4.6 million in planned improvements to a section of West Wilson Boulevard from U.S. 21 to Broad Street.
  • A project to improve Moore Street from Mitchell Community College to Liberty Park was recently awarded $1.2 million from the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO).
  • CRTPO also approved $60,000 for development of a plan to improve traffic flow in downtown Mooresville.
  • The town also was awarded $60,000 to complete a feasibility study on a partnership with the N.C. Department of Transportation to manage traffic signals and timing “so that we have a daily hands-on capability to adjust timing and traffic on our main corridors,” Atkins noted. “While we will continue to have volume issues, this study would open the door to a partnership that would impact traffic in a positive manner.”
  • The planned East-West Connector in the southern part of town was awarded a $13.8 million BUILD Grant. Design work is underway, with construction scheduled to begin in 2022.

Recreation projects 

  • Construction will begin in 2021 on the Jordan Sheldon Memorial Dog Park at Cornelius Park.
  • Work has begun on a plan “to upgrade Moor Park to make the facility a better home for our collegiate league (baseball) team, the Mooresville Spinners, as well as for use for regional tournaments,” Atkins said.
  • The town is seeking public input for plans for an improved skate park.
  • Plans also are also underway for Phase 2 of Liberty Park improvements that will complete the project.

Downtown development

  • Construction of the Mill One mixed-use development, which will include at least 80 residential units, is underway on Church Street in downtown.
  • After completing an extensive request for proposals, the town has chosen Elliott Sidewalk Communities to develop a town-owned 2.7-acre site across Church Street from Mill One.

Diversity and inclusion task force

  • The Mayor’s Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion is being formed and “work is already underway in the form of Community Courageous Conversations and other outreach efforts,” according to Atkins.
  • The town’s internal Diversity Committee “is working to improve diversity within the ranks of town employees,” the mayor added. “Diversity and inclusion have been woven into town mission and vision statements, and the committee is hosting training and awareness events.

Industrial and economic development

  • Hose manufacturer FITT will begin construction of a facility at the Mooresville Business park in 2021.
  • The town is also working with the South Iredell Economic Development Corporation on ReVamp, “which will help local NASCAR suppliers diversify as NASCAR evolves with its Next Generation Car,” Atkins said.

‘Strive to stay focused’
Atkins said he’s proud of the work the town has done during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even with so much uncertainty, we continue to think about, plan for, and invest in the future,” he explained. “We strive to stay focused on the needs of our residential and business community, as well as the many visitors who are just passing through for a brief visit. We are committed to serving one another even in the midst of a global pandemic. We will face the coming months with the same determination we have shown during the last nine.”

Source: Deem, John. “Mooresville mayor: Projects, plans guide progress in 2021,” Lake Norman Publications, 29, December 2020, https://www.lakenormanpublications.com/articles/mooresville-mayor-projects-plans-guide-progress-in-2021/.