Millis boards endorse AR4A addition-renovation as preferred option for middle‑high school; plan sent to MSBA

The Town of Millis Select Board and the Millis School Committee voted Feb. 5, 2025, to endorse AR4A, an addition‑and‑renovation plan for the Millis middle‑high school, and to submit the district’s Preferred Schematic Report (PSR) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

Rich Nichols, chair of the School Building Committee, presented the project options and said the committee selected AR4A as its preferred option after exploring multiple renovation, addition‑and‑renovation and new‑construction scenarios. The plan would add a new middle‑school wing and a new gym, create distinct middle and high school areas with shared core facilities, and provide a built‑in swing space to avoid temporary modular classrooms.

The educational rationale drove the choice, Millis Superintendent Bob Mullaney said. “A school is more than a building,” Mullaney said, adding that the AR4A option would create right‑sized classrooms, dedicated special education and English‑learner spaces, flexible small‑group learning areas and space for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) instruction.

Chris (project architect/engineer, Vertex) described the building deficiencies the design seeks to address. “The red blocks are classrooms that do…