Millis school building committee: MSBA funding change unlikely to affect timeline; committee sets outreach schedule and flags urgent building repairs

On Sept. 17, the Town of Millis School Building Committee heard an update from project consultants on the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) review and on the project schedule, and discussed outreach, cost estimates and urgent building needs ahead of town meeting and a December ballot vote.

Project consultant Jeff (project consultant, Tapia) said the MSBA had returned initial questions on the project submittal and the committee expects a final reimbursement value in early October. "We are still on track," Jeff said, adding consultants expect the effective reimbursement to be more than 50 percent if the MSBA approval follows the current timeline.

The committee discussed a recent MSBA decision to raise funding caps for projects approved and funded in 2026. Jeff walked the group through changes the MSBA proposed: raising the building cost cap from $550 per square foot to about $605 per square foot, increasing site allowances (from roughly 10 percent to 12 percent), higher allowances for FF&E and technology, and a new cap on demolition and abatement eligibility at about $42 per square foot. Jeff said those changes could alter grant calculations by roughly $1.1 million for a project of the Town’s size, but he added the Town’s August 28 submission means Millis is not eligible for the 2026 increase because the local vote would take place before the MSBA’s effective date. Jeff recommended against delaying the submission by six months to try to reach the new funding cohort because delay would add escalation costs to the project.

Mike Kaczynski (Town staff) reported that other towns that submitted in the same MSBA round — North Andover, Stockbridge, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Lexington, Rochester and Littleton — have asked their representatives to request that the MSBA make the funding increase effective immediately rather than staggered. Several committee members supported sending a letter asking the MSBA to reconsider the start date for the higher caps, while also saying they did not want to pause the local schedule.

The committee confirmed a sequence of outreach and review meetings leading to the Nov. 10 town meeting and a Dec. 8 ballot vote. Key dates discussed at the meeting include a capital planning committee meeting on Sept. 30 (in person at Town Hall); a fully virtual community forum on Oct. 14; a scheduled meeting with Glenn Allen Grama on Oct. 22 (the committee’s regular meeting date); an Oct. 28 hybrid forum in the high school library; and a placeholder public forum in early November ahead of town meeting. The committee also discussed "roadshows" — smaller, informal meetings in town venues such as the senior center, Lions Club and parent groups — and asked that FAQs and updated materials be posted to the project website. Jeff said the schematic design submittal and updated cost information are live on the site.

Committee members discussed outreach messaging and household cost examples. Committee member Craig noted a brochure prepared by the outreach group that presents a range of homeowner impacts based on different project and interest-rate scenarios. The brochure, the committee said, uses an assessed-value baseline of about $605,000 and estimates a per-household annual cost range roughly between $890 and $1,103 depending on final project cost and future interest rates. Jeff and the outreach team said they would update the outreach materials once the MSBA returns final reimbursement figures.

Members also pressed for clearer, prioritized information on current building conditions and near-term costs. Several committee members and Principal Nash described recurring building problems: classroom outages from a leaking cast-iron waste pipe, roof leaks, aging boilers and a strained HVAC system that makes upper-floor classrooms uncomfortable on warm days. Principal Nash said a classroom had to be taken offline twice in under a year after pipe leaks damaged furniture and materials. The committee identified HVAC, roof/water intrusion, life-safety/code compliance and boiler replacements as near-term priorities and asked consultants to prepare a prioritized punch list that could be used for communications and, if needed, an alternative short-term funding plan.

On administrative business the committee approved minutes from August meetings and approved invoices for project consultants: Tapia for $52,500 and Vertex for $47,482.25. All motions carried unanimously.

Committee members asked staff and consultants to draft FAQs, publish the prioritized punch list and track responses to public questions, to coordinate outreach with organized groups in town, and to prepare materials for the capital planning and finance committees in October. The committee also agreed to consider sending a joint letter with other towns to the MSBA requesting an earlier effective date for the funding increase, while keeping the current project timeline in place to avoid escalation.

The committee adjourned after the invoice approvals and scheduling discussions.