The Skagway Public Schools will be getting a facelift soon.
The Skagway Borough Assembly voted unanimously at its March 19 meeting to award a $1.3 million contract to Dawson Construction, LLC for phase one of renovations to the Skagway campus. Work on upgrading the school campuses is expected to begin this summer.
“This is a very, very important project,” said Mayor Orion Hanson. “It has to happen.”
Originally constructed in 1983, the school is in need of multiple upgrades, including remodeling and upgrades in the restrooms and locker rooms, modified landings to meet American Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, as well as safety concerns in several other areas.
Skagway Public School’s Superintendent Dr. Josh Coughran said renovations at the school, especially in the bathroom areas, are “necessary and timely” and urged the municipality to move forward with funding.
“This is a project that is both necessary and timely,” Coughran said during the public comment period of the meeting. “It directly affects the safety, accessibility and overall well-being of our students, staff and community.”
Assembly person Alec Weddell agreed, saying the community, as a whole, was excited about the improvements.
“We’re all looking forward to bringing the physical standards of the school up,” she said.
The Assembly also approved a contract for $263,000 with Respect Engineering to serve as the administrative and overseer of the project to ensure it meets all requirements.
Coughran told the Assembly the students, and the current future, students deserved the improvements.
“Every individual who enters our school should be able to do it with dignity and independence,” he said. “To state it bluntly, the current facility is woefully in need of rehabilitation.”
Coughran also said the improvements will benefit the community, too. The school, he noted, serves as an community shelter in emergency situations.
“This remodel is an investment in that preparedness,” he said.
The school improvement issue is one of several capital improvement projects the Assembly approved at the meeting. Contracts for the replacement of the municipal incinerator, the replacement of the X-ray equipment at the Dahl Memorial Clinic and rockslide maintenance were also given the thumbs up.
MCG Constructors were awarded a bid not to exceed $174,000 for the X-ray renovations at the clinic. The administration/observation contract for the renovations was awarded to CRW Engineering in the amount of $19,607.
The overall project came in just shy of the amount the municipality originally budgeted for the upgrade.
The Assembly also awarded a $6.2 million contract to Dawson Construction for the replacement of the municipal incinerator, and an administration contract with MCG Constructors, Inc. in the amount of $263,000.
The Rockslide Mitigation maintenance contract was awarded to Granite Construction Co. in the amount of $280,500. Shannon & Wilson will serve as the administration/observation partner at $78,770.
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