On April 16 the Town of Millis School Building Committee and Permanent Building Committee received an update from the project design team on the preferred schematic for the combined middle/high school and agreed to hold a public community forum on May 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the school auditorium.

The update covered Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) feedback on the Preliminary School Report (PSR), changes to floor and site plans developed after recent programming sessions with teachers and staff, stormwater and sewer considerations, and next steps for budgeting and community outreach. The design team said it will submit formal responses to the MSBA near the end of April.

The design team presented a revised schematic that further shapes the middle-school wing while minimizing alteration to the high-school footprint. Chris, design lead for Vertex, said the team is prioritizing reductions in gross square footage where possible because “the best way to get money out of the building is to cut square footage.” He said the Second Floor of the middle school and high school remain separated in the current schematic and that the team is exploring options to group science classrooms together on a single floor to improve departmental adjacency.

The team also reported changes driven by staff input: counseling suites will be split so high-school and middle-school counselors are embedded within their respective neighborhoods; circulation diagrams are being prepared to show morning arrivals and afternoon dismissals; and art/STEAM spaces are being reviewed for adequate sizing. Design staff highlighted that recent plumbing-code changes have significantly increased required restroom fixtures for assembly and gymnasium-type occupancies, and those code impacts are being incorporated into the schematic.

On the site plan, civil and landscape consultants (referred to as "Niche" and Warner Larson in the meeting) are examining drop-off and pickup sequences, bus routing and parking, service and loading areas, and the placement of bio-retention features. The design team described an intermittent stream and a flagged wetland on the eastern side of the site and said a mix of surface bioretention basins and subsurface chambers is being considered to reduce both peak rates and volumes of stormwater leaving the site. Mike, the project manager, clarified that bioretention basins are designed to hold water only during and shortly after storm events and generally do not contain standing water permanently.

Committee members raised outreach and construction concerns. Several members urged early notification to immediate abutters about potential tree removal, traffic changes, and site work to avoid surprises during later stages of design. The team said detailed neighbor outreach will begin after the committee settles more specific proposals. The team also flagged the existing sewer line across the ballfields (originally transite pipe) as an item that may require attention and potential rerouting if replacement is needed.

Budgeting and schedule: the committee discussed market volatility for building materials and the need for escalation contingencies. The design team said a new, full cost estimate will be prepared in July–August and that the committee will need to decide how much contingency to include before bringing a number to voters. The team noted some builders are estimating a near-term construction cost impact of roughly 3–5% from tariffs on steel and aluminum, but cautioned that market conditions continue to change.

The committee approved plans to prepare informational materials for spring town meeting and the May election (for distribution at a table and display boards), while avoiding distributing fixed final price tags in printed handouts. The project team will publish updated FAQs on the project website and bring updated floor and site plans to the committee’s next meeting on May 7 at 7:30 a.m.

The meeting closed after routine administrative items.