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The National Park Service has awarded DSL Builders a $1.7 million contract to renovate the visitor center at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash.

The Salem-based contractor has been involved in the project for five months now as part of a design-build process, said Gene Doll, the company’s owner. Woodburn-based RSS Architecture PC is providing the design services on the building, which include a new entry canopy on the building, and accessibility upgrades. Portland-based MFIA Inc. will provide the mechanical and engineering services.

The project is slated for completion by May of next year.

“We will be coordinating the design with an exhibits package that the park service is designing to create a visitors’ experience,” Doll said. “The design team will provide a design that will incorporate all their planned exhibits. They’re just starting that.”

The main challenges of the project include replacing outdated electrical, heating and cooling systems, along with removing lead paint and asbestos from the building, which was originally construction in 1961.

“It’s an older building that’s riddled with hazardous material,” Doll said. “We’ll have to go through and abate the building.”

During the nine-month construction project, which will start in the fall, the visitor center will be relocated to the Pearson Air Museum on East Fifth Street. The museum is part of the national historic site.