Millis committee approves $127 million not-to-exceed school project budget, OKs proprietary technology items

The Millis School Building Committee voted Wednesday to approve a not-to-exceed total project budget of $127,000,000 for the town’s school addition and renovation project and authorized two related actions: including a security-glazing alternate in the construction budget and designating a list of technology items as proprietary.

Committee members said the approvals allow the team to move to a joint presentation with the school committee and select board and to prepare the package the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) requires for reimbursement review.

The vote followed a presentation from Vertex summarizing updated construction cost estimates, technology costs and contingencies. Vertex and its consultants recommended carrying the higher of two cost estimates as the “budget of record” for town meeting. The project team reported a construction-cost estimate of about $97,000,784 before alternates and allowances; after folding in the security-glazing alternate and other items, they reported construction costs in the high $98 million range and conveyed the $127,000,000 figure as the not-to-exceed total project budget to the…