The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District building committee on April 30 opened six responses to a request for qualifications to plan a new school building. The seven-member committee includes Superintendent Keith Laser, trustees Kevin Anthony and Steve Lorrain, school board members Stephanie Hawke and John Bertolet, Boothbay Harbor select board Vice Chair Tricia Warren and Boothbay Town Manager Dan Bryer.

Respondents were national firm CHA Companies in Portland; Lavallee Brensinger Architects (LBPA), Portland; Lewis and Malm Architecture (LMA), Bucksport; WBRC Architects Engineers, Bangor; Harriman Architecture, Engineering and Planning, Auburn; and Oak Point Associates, Biddeford. LBPA carried out the master plan concept leading up to the RFQ and LMA has worked with the CSD on major projects over the past few years.

Said Laser, “We are going to grade the submitted packets and get back together on the 13th to review our scores. From there we will decide of the six who we will interview. It could be three or it could be all six. We interview them and then make our recommendation to the trustees and CSD board.”

From there, the CSD trustees and school committee should determine the next phase of work, hiring a firm and carrying out the design, which will involve financing, Laser said. After LBPA projected the next steps to cost $2.5 million, local philanthropist and businessman Paul Coulombe offered to fundraise the costs.