Commission authorizes use of construction manager at-risk for North River Elementary; commissioners request school system update on Hixson-area capacity

The Hamilton County Commission approved a resolution authorizing the Board of Education to use a construction manager at-risk (CMAR) procurement contract for construction of the new North River Elementary School and several commissioners asked the school system for an update on student enrollment, rezoning and capacity in the Hixson area.

Recorded on the agenda as resolution 625-6, the measure grants the Board of Education authority to proceed with CMAR procurement for the North River Elementary School project. Commissioners discussed growth and crowding in Hixson-area schools and raised questions about whether planned closures or reassignments — including the future of Rivermont School — remain on the school board’s plan.

Commissioner Sharp commented that Hixson-area schools are experiencing substantial growth and asked the commission to request an update from the school system: "I know that there's been some talk about rezoning... I guess what it comes down to is there have been conversations that suggest that possibly, the closing of the Rivermont School will not happen, as a result of growing student body populations in schools in the Hixson area." Commissioner Sharp asked for a near-term update so the commission could understand potential changes in scope and need.

Commissioner Highlander and others supported asking the school system for an update. Commissioner Smith said he had reached out to School Board Chairman Joe Smith, who told him there had been "no conversations about keeping that school open." The transcript shows commissioners agreed to request a report from school officials; the chair offered to invite school staff to present an update to the commission.

The resolution authorizes the Board of Education to use CMAR procurement; it does not itself change school district boundaries or final decisions about school closures, which are the school board’s responsibility. Commissioners explicitly noted that redistricting authority resides with the Board of Education, not the county commission.