Following town approval in December 2025 for the funding of a new Millis Middle School, and renovation of the high school, the School Building Committee (SBC), Tappe Architects, and project manager Vertex Engineering have started the process of hiring a General Contractor (GC).

The SBC also secured approval to build using CM@Risk (Construction Manager at Risk), a requirement by the state, and the project team has been moving ahead ever since.

The CM@Risk process puts all the members of the team together to review the plans and define the best possible ways to complete the project prior to any construction, while being cognizant of the overall budget.

"The MSBA list of General Contractors was small and well vetted," said Vice Chair Permanent Building Committee and School Building Committee Diane Jurmain. "We interviewed three GCs in February and selected Fontaine Brothers, Inc, who have completed in excess of 140 schools and are well known for the quality of their work. By early March, we began meeting with Fontaine, Tappe, Vertex, MSBA and the SBC."

Jurmain says the design process is in progress and they are currently at 60% completion of the drawings which have been price checked. Many more efficient and cost-effective methods of construction have been identified and will continue through the last phase of the process.

"This method was used on the New Clyde Brown School which ended up under budget. We are still well within budget and expect that to continue," said Jurmain.

A large amount of exploratory work went on at the building during the summer so it would not interfere with school operations.

The project should break ground in the spring. For more information or for updates on the project, visit www.millisschoolproject.com.