Sewer line extension to begin that Middletown leaders say will kick start development on Union Road

Sep. 20—A $880,000 project to extend sewer lines along Middletown's Interstate 75 corridor that city officials say will "kick start" development in years to come is set to begin.

The project appropriation of ARPA funds was approved late last year by council, but bidding was slowed down by environmental concerns of the Indiana brown bat habitat, according to Acting City Manager Nathan Cahall.

Tuesday night, city council approved a contract with Stauffer Site Services to proceed with the North Union Road sewer extension project that will consist of installation of 3,125 linear feet of sanitary sewer line.

The cost of the project is $884,275 and is 30 percent lower that the engineer's estimate, according to the staff report.

The new sewer line will run from north of Atrium Medical Center through two vacate properties that are zoned for commercial development, according the Cahall.

"This is seen by our development department as a good strategic investment since these are pieces of land along the I-75 corridor," Cahall said.

Companies exploring building and locating on the land are often not choosing these sites in the city limits because there is no sewer line.

"They want shovel ready locations," Cahall said. "Hopefully it will kick start development activity on the properties in years to come."

The city's comprehensive development plan calls for the land to be a primary business center including office parks or low impact industrial uses.

"It is seen seen to be a job center and a new burgeoning income tax base area for our community," Cahall said.

The construction is expected to begin in the next few weeks and be finished by late in the first quarter of 2025.

"With the nature of the project, we can work through the winter, because it is not like a road project where it will get too cold to pave," Cahall said.