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Millis committee debates full flooring replacement vs. patchwork; design team to return with samples and alternates
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Summary
Committee members questioned a piecemeal approach to flooring during the renovation, citing visual fragmentation and maintenance concerns. The design team recommended vinyl quartz tile for durability and lower maintenance and will provide samples and alternate prices at the May or June meeting.
At the April 15 School Building Committee meeting in Millis, committee members and the design team debated whether to replace only badly deteriorated vinyl composition tile (VCT) in places or to pursue a broader, full-room replacement with vinyl quartz tile.
The design presenter said the schematic design originally replaced only floors that must be replaced, leaving many areas of existing VCT to remain. “Our recommendation would be to replace all the flooring with new vinyl quartz tile in lieu of doing kind of the piecemeal VCT,” the presenter said, citing better long‑term appearance and reduced maintenance because vinyl quartz does not require waxing.
Committee members raised two practical concerns: longevity and visual continuity. One member asked whether the existing VCT has a longer lifespan if properly waxed; another cautioned that repairing or protecting 50‑year‑old tile during heavy construction work may not be worth the effort.
Cost and procurement options
Jeff said a whole‑building flooring replacement is a significant expense (committee discussion put a broad estimate in the mid‑six‑figure range, closer to about $500,000 when considered broadly) and suggested the team price a range of options as bid alternates so the committee can weigh aesthetics, maintenance savings and timing. Members also discussed ordering structural steel for the folding glass partition as part of the base work and bidding the glass as an add alternate to preserve options while managing lead times.
Next steps
The design team will bring physical samples (a tray of material samples), firm pricing for alternates and a set of value‑engineering options to the committee’s next presentation, planned for the May or June meeting. The committee did not make a final decision on flooring at the April 15 meeting.
The debate highlighted common tradeoffs in school renovations: upfront capital versus long‑term maintenance and appearance, with committee members requesting concrete samples and dollar figures to inform any future warrant or budget decisions.
