County to consider $2.9 million design contract for new North River Elementary

Hamilton County commissioners reviewed Resolution 325-9 to authorize the county mayor to enter into a contract with Franklin Associates Architects Inc. for design services for the new North River Elementary School for an amount not to exceed $2,887,500.

County staff identified the contract as an American Institute of Architects–style agreement aligned with the state fee curve for basic architectural services. Staff said the fee for basic services on the project is about 5.37 percent, and the contract includes roughly $433,000 in reimbursable additional costs not covered by the state fee curve, including printing, traffic study, permitting, cost estimating, surveying, special inspections and geotechnical work.

Commissioner Sharp questioned the project totals and referenced an estimated construction cost of $45,650,000 cited in project reports; staff and commissioners discussed that the roughly $2.45 million in basic fees plus reimbursables bring the total project cost to about $50,000,000, a figure the school board and bond package previously used for budgeting. Staff underscored that larger projects usually yield lower state-fee percentages and that reimbursable items are handled separately from basic services.

The transcript records discussion of the fee structure and reimbursable items, names Franklin Associates as the selected firm and references a program size for 800 to 1,000 students. The provided excerpt does not record a formal vote or final contract execution details.