Mooresville Parks board moves ahead with BOT process

MOORESVILLE — The Mooresville Parks and Recreation District is continuing to work through its planned
improvements for the years ahead.

During the Jan. 8 park board meeting, the board approved for the department to release a request for proposals and qualifications for the project.

“This is the first step in releasing information to collect data proposals from the certified firms that would be interested in participating as our bid operator,” Mooresville Parks Superintendent Phil Cornelius said.

The parks have decided to go with the build-operate-transfer (BOT) procurement method for the improvements at Pioneer Park.

Town attorney Chou-Il Lee explained that once the board receives proposals back, a committee will review and score the proposals. Then the committee can either accept one or more, or decline all proposals it has received.

If the committee sends recommendations to the board, the board can then decide to go with one proposal or decline them all.

“Let’s say you decide, ‘Yes, we do want to move forward with these proposals; here is the person we’re going to put out there,’ then you get into the phase where you are going to negotiate a contract, essentially,” Lee said.

According to Lee, the BOT procurement method for the project allows the parks “to negotiate a maximum-guaranteed price for that contract.”

“So the risk is all on their end,” Lee added.

He also noted if an agreement with the maximum-guaranteed price can’t be met, the negotiations
would not move forward.

Lee told the board that developers would make the assumption that the board will
want to move forward with the project.

“But they understand you may not,” Lee added.

Park board president Matt Saner asked Lee what the “point of no return” would be for the parks department with a company.

“When we sign that guaranteed-maximum price contract,” Lee responded.

Lee was asked if any money would exchange hands before the contract is signed.

“No, this is all stuff that they are going to take in … that’s an at-risk part,” Lee noted.

Park board member Mark Taylor explained one concern he had with the BOT method.

“It’s like going to a car dealership and saying, ‘OK, I want to buy a brand new car and I’ve only got this $20,000 to spend,’ and them knowing the price before you even go in there, ‘OK, we’ll charge you $19,999,’” Taylor said. “It just seems like it’s a different process,”

“It is a different process,” Lee explained. “It is a process that has become available to municipal entities just over the past few years.” He told the board the BOT was first available to school districts in Indiana before it was allowed for municipal governments.

“What we have found is that it has been a great way overall to design and get the project you’re looking for, because you’re doing all the scoping and estimating at the right time,” Lee said.

The board approved releasing the request for proposals by a vote of 7-0. Cornelius explained that he anticipates proposals would be ready to be brought back to the board at its February meeting.

In other business

• The board selected to have Saner continue as its president in 2024, Taylor to
  serve as its vice president and Danny Shaw as its secretary.
• It decided to table a decision on awarding its five year master plan contract
  until a future meeting. The next regular meeting of the Mooresville Parks Board is scheduled for 6:30
  p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12.

~ By Lance Gideon | Reporter | Published January 18, 2024 in The Morgan County Correspondent