Architects for Haines’ new elementary school are coming to town Friday to share nearly complete drawings for the project. Design staff for the Bettisworth+NorthWind, along with representatives of Dawson Construction, will meet with members of the school’s Design Committee, the Oversight and Planning Committee and other community members at 4 p.m. in the Chilkat Center. 

Architectural drawings for the new building and planned renovations at Haines High School are 95 percent complete and ripe for feedback, said project manager Brian Lemcke. “It’s a real good time to get the (community guidelines) involved again… We’re down to deciding things like colors, carpet and other details.”

He said the architects plan to go through the drawings room by room to update residents on design developments and listen to comments.

Work on the school, and planned renovations at Haines High School are on schedule despite a legal protest filed by competing contractor, McGraw’s Custom Construction of Sitka.

A tree removal contract for the Main Street building site was awarded last month to sole bidder, The Stump Company, which agreed to pay the borough $937.50 in exchange for timber on the lot.

The company is owned by Scott Rossman, who abstained from voting on the contract award.

Bids currently are being sought for water and sewer line relocation at the site and for building site preparation. Those jobs are subcontracts in the pre-construction phase of the project, for which the borough assembly selected Dawson Construction as general contractor and construction manager.

Dawson is in line to continue as contractor for the construction phase, with negotiations planned with the borough to set a fixed maximum price for the work.

On Tuesday, McGraw dropped its legal request for a stop to the project pending a judge’s ruling.

The company’s protest to award of the preconstruction contract still is pending in Superior Court, but damages now would be limited, if the borough loses, to bid preparation costs.

The case has been assigned to Judge Larry Weeks, but no dates have yet been set for hearings on the case.