The Haines Borough school board voted unanimously last week to allocate up to $280,000 to Dawson Construction for a roof to go over the paved basketball court and play area on the Haines School’s west side.
The work will be done as a change order proposal to the school renovation project and funds will come from about $400,000 remaining in construction funds. Dawson was the contractor for the renovation.
The 60-by-90-foot roof will stand 26 feet at its peak and 16 feet at the eaves, sloped at a 4-12 pitch. Dawson priced a structure three feet taller, purchased through Design Construction Heritage of Everett, Wash., at $250,000.
Besides a lower profile, changes to the quoted design may include interior lighting, enclosed gables to afford some protection from wind and snow and painted, – rather than galvanized – support columns to match adjacent buildings.
“It’s kind of a monstrosity. It’s a 6,000-square-foot roof. You don’t want it to look industrial,” Dawson supervisor Les Hostetler told board members.
Snow will shed from the roof and “snow guards” could be added to arrest it, but some shedding will be inevitable, Hostetler said. “There might be times when you think it’s going to start breaking and sliding off that you’re going to have to keep the kids away from it.”
Before ordering the building, Dawson will investigate the cost of moving a water utility at the site, Hostetler said, as that could add cost to the project.
Board member Brian Clay said the cover would provide multiple uses for the district, including a muster area for students on fire drills in foul weather. “At least they’re semi out of the weather.”
The roof will take four months to arrive, and Dawson could put in the foundation this summer, Hostetler said.
Superintendent Michael Byer and board members were enthused about the proposal. They said a covered play area was part of the original dream for the combined school, but had been slipping away.
“Everything else we saw was way over $300,000 or went to $400,000,” Byer said. “This is by far the best, the cheapest thing we’ve found and we certainly trust (Dawson’s) work.”
Hostetler said the project may include new basketball hoops at the long ends of the rectangular play area, possibly hung from the structure’s enclosed gables.