Crews working on the roof replacement at Evergreen Elementary School are scheduled to continue operations through the winter under heavy-duty protective tents, with completion expected shortly after the first of the year.

Work started last month.

The activity at Evergreen represents the first phase of a comprehensive, multi-facility renovation project that will eventually address roofing and siding needs across the three schools as well as the community swimming pool.

The borough assembly in June approved a $6.3 million contract with Sitka-based McG Constructors for major renovations across the three school buildings and the swimming pool roof.

According to Capital Projects Director Amber Al-Haddad, the schedule provided by the contractor calls for finishing Evergreen before workers relocate equipment to the next campus in line.

“They’re going to complete that roof in whole before they move to the middle school, which would be next,” Al-Haddad said. “They won’t be done with this roof until probably after the first of the year, and then they will immediately move to the middle school.”

The high school roof will be last.

To withstand harsh seasonal weather and keep moisture away from exposed roofing, the contractor installed an engineered tenting system over the job site. She said the containment system allows the crew to keep working through cold conditions and potential snowfall, even if winter storms present operational hurdles.

“They’ll continue to work through the winter, with the tent and protective measures that they have in place,” she said.

The rest of the job will continue until next summer.

The scope of work across the three school campuses focuses specifically on flat roof sections, alongside varying exterior maintenance that includes siding replacement and repainting, depending on the needs of each building.

The final phase of the broader project will tackle the swimming pool roof, which encompasses both its flat roof surfaces and the sloped roof.

Unlike the school building repairs — which are financed through a combination of state grant funds and money the borough raised from selling bonds approved by voters in 2022 — the pool roof work is covered entirely by federal funds given to the borough for schools and roads.