LIVERMORE FALLS — The RSU 73 board Thursday agreed to contract with Bunker and Savage Architects of Augusta to redesign and redevelop parts of Spruce Mountain middle and high schools in Jay, and the Jay Community Building.

The cost is not to exceed $129,400.

The contract calls for redeveloping the community building basement into about five classrooms, offices and the town voting area; renovating the high school to create more classrooms, administrative offices, and making parts of it handicapped accessible; and renovating a limited area of the middle school to add classrooms.

The $1.8 million project will allow students at the high schools in Jay and Livermore Falls to be at one location by this fall.

The Building and Grounds, and Facilities committees, along with Superintendent Robert Wall, high school Principal Thomas Plourde, the high school’s library director, and theater teacher Anne Weatherbee will meet soon on the design.

Weatherbee said at Thursday’s board meeting that she wants to discuss the stage area at Spruce Mountain High School in Livermore Falls and some potential storage for the theater arts program.

Voters earlier this year approved the renovation project.

The academic wing of the Livermore Falls high school will be closed at the end of the current school year. Several other portions of it will be used for other school-related programs.

According to a timeline provided by Bunker and Savage, bids for construction will go out in late April with a mid-May due date.

The renovations for classroom space on the ground floor of the middle school gym are expected to begin in late May and end in mid-August. Renovations of the high school principal’s office, the security and weight rooms, the cafeteria, the shop space and the classroom wing are due to begin June 17 and be completed by mid-August.

Bathroom and shower upgrades are expected to take place at the same time.

Construction of the walkway connector between the high and middle schools will also be done between mid-May and mid-August.

In other matters Thursday, Weatherbee announced that the school’s 37-student theatrical team that performed “Delete” took the runner-up award in the Class A competition at the Maine Drama Festival in early March. The RSU 73 team lost the top spot to Skowhegan High School bya few points, but won several firsts, including the Outstanding Ensemble Award.

She said the play will be performed for the community at a soon-to-be-announced date.