Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Millis school building team trims gym size to meet MSBA funding and cut cost, town officials say
Summary
Select Board members reported that the town's middle-high school design team reduced gym width to match Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) funding standards; officials said the change will add roughly 300 seats and save about $1 million on the project while remaining fully reimbursable under MSBA rules.
Town officials told the Millis Select Board on June 30 that the middle-high school project team has reduced the gymnasium design size to conform with Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) reimbursement parameters, producing cost savings and increased reimburseability.
Officials said the earlier design projected a gym that would seat roughly 1,200 people; the revised design reduces the gym's width by about 15 feet, resulting in an estimated seating capacity around the mid-700s (the board discussed a figure of roughly 720 seats) and adding about 300 seats over the existing gym. Members said the narrower gym and other value-engineering efforts will save about $1 million and that the gym will be fully reimbursable by the MSBA under the sizing guidelines the agency funds.
Town staff and school building committee members said they are continuing value-engineering work and plan to present final cost-per-taxpayer and reimbursement estimates in early September when MSBA reimbursement rates are confirmed. Board members emphasized that the town will not present final project costs until the reimbursement percentage and the final design are set.
No formal board action was required at the meeting; the report was informational and part of ongoing project updates to the Select Board.
