AUBURN – The Auburn School Department has hired Harriman Associates, a local architectural and engineering firm, to recommend whether to renovate or build a new high school.

After reviewing six firms, a subcommittee recommended Harriman to the Auburn School Committee Wednesday night. The committee voted unanimously for Harriman. The School Department will now enter a contract with the company and negotiate how much they will be paid, Superintendent Tom Morrill said.

A new or improved Edward Little High School is needed, school officials have said, because it’s too small to hold existing programs, isn’t energy efficient – with little insulation and single-pane windows – and is lacking amenities common in other high schools, such as on-site athletic fields and a cafeteria with ventilation.

School Committee Chairman David Das, who served on the architect selection subcommittee, said he was impressed with Harriman. The firm has worked on a number of school projects built with partial or all local taxpayer money, which could be the case for a new or improved Edward Little since no state money is available. Harriman also has a track record for building environmentally friendly schools, and is open to exploring new energy technology, such as geothermal, Das said.

Committee member Larry Pelletier, who also served on the subcommittee, said Harriman has “emotional” attachments to Edward Little. Several employees or their children have gone through the Auburn schools, Pelletier said.

The firm has designed St. Dominic Regional High School in Auburn, Brunswick High School, Noble High School in North Berwick, Camden Hills Regional High School, Exeter High School in Exeter, N.H., and the Raymond Geiger Elementary School being built in Lewiston.

Renovation projects designed by Harriman include Scarborough High School, Biddeford High School, Cheverus High School in Portland, and Fairview Elementary and Sherwood Heights elementary schools, both in Auburn.

After studying the school, Harriman will recommend to Auburn taxpayers next year whether the high school built in 1961 should be replaced or renovated, and how much each option would cost. Previous reports have estimated a new school would cost about $52 million, and major renovations could run about $24 million.

After Harriman makes its recommendation, taxpayers will be asked to approve or reject the project in a nonbinding referendum, possibly in the spring, followed by a binding vote in November.