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MSBA asks questions on eligibility; Millis team targets LEED Silver and will prepare tax‑impact estimate
Summary
The MSBA provided PSR comments identifying roughly 1,000 square feet of potentially ineligible spaces; the Millis team plans to pursue LEED for Schools Silver (the MSBA minimum) and will draft a tax‑impact estimate with the new finance director.
Project consultants told the Millis School Building Committee on May 7 that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) returned comments on the PSR noting several program areas that differ from MSBA space guidelines and potential ineligible square footage. The design team said they will respond and continue work to minimize ineligible space to maximize reimbursement.
Consultants described items MSBA flagged — for example, certain science prep rooms and a TV studio or control room that may be ineligible under MSBA rules; the team estimated roughly a thousand square feet of ineligible or questioned space and said some of that could be reduced by redistributing program or adjusting room sizes in schematic design. The MSBA also requested life‑cycle cost information, additional site planning detail and a tax‑impact estimate for the project.
The design team said Vertex (owner’s project manager) would draft a request to extend the feasibility‑study agreement end date to accommodate the timing of the delivery‑method decision; Vertex will also lead preparation of the tax‑impact estimate and asked to be given contact information for the town’s new finance director. The meeting transcript records the town’s new finance director as Jody Kurczy and participants agreed to pass contact details to the project team.
On sustainability, the team presented a LEED for Schools scorecard and recommended pursuing the MSBA's required baseline: LEED Silver (minimum 50 points, with at least three points in specific materials/indoor‑air categories). Consultants said the current scorecard shows about 53 points — providing a small buffer above the MSBA minimum — and recommended pursuing only the MSBA‑required threshold rather than seeking additional incentive points that would require significant extra work and cost.
The team noted these items will continue to evolve during schematic design and that cost and MSBA eligibility impacts will be reported to the committee as the project advances.
