A Nashville-based firm will serve as the construction manager for the new Smithville Elementary School project.
DeKalb County Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said the board chose RG Anderson after a committee scored using a rubric, proposals from nine vendors. The decision marks a significant step for the project, which has been in development since 2017.
“They came to a final score and we selected RG Anderson based on the being the top scorer when combining pricing and qualifications,” Cripps said.
The construction manager will now work with architects to review pre-construction documents and ensure the plans align with the school’s budget. Officials hope to break ground this summer, pending weather conditions and Fire Marshal reviews.
“I don’t want to rush a project. I just want to get it right for our community. You know, this is a lot of money and and you know, this isn’t my money. This is the community’s money and and we want to put a product out that’s going to be long-lasting,” Cripps said.
The new PreK-2 facility will be approximately 120,000 square feet and will feature a gym equipped with bleachers. The design includes flexible spaces in the center of the corridor that can be converted into smaller or larger classrooms.
“And that’s that’s the first and most important thing about this building is we want to ensure that we’re meeting our students’ needs uh to make sure that they’re being successful uh in their education process as they go to the next levels,” Cripps said.
The current elementary school was built in 1958 and the district has run out of space at the existing site. The new project is estimated to cost between $52 million and $53 million.
“But yeah it’s been surreal it is because like I said it you know this is my 11th year uh being director and and in 2017 we started down this venture of looking at uh possibly building a school and to see it finally come into fruition and and you know we’re fixing to put some shovels in the ground,” Cripps said.
The school system currently houses two classrooms of second graders in a separate building to manage the capacity issues.