School Panel Approves $60,000 Soil Testing

School Building Committee · Meeting of July 15, 2026

MILLIS — The Millis School Building Committee approved up to $60,000 for added soil testing meant to lower construction bids. Members voted 4-0 by roll call, with Jim McCaffrey among those in favor, and also unanimously created a subcontractor pre-qualification committee naming representatives from Vertex, Tapay Architects and construction manager Fontaine. The panel approved invoices including $356,530.47 to Tapay Architects and $35,000 to Vertex for June work, plus $5,479.90 to ARS for solar panel removal.

Officials said Eversource agreed to let the project run on two electrical services during a roughly year-long cutover, calling it "huge for us." The committee is still weighing trailers, Town Hall space or the train station for displaced administrative staff, and introduced Ron Taylor as the middle school's new principal.

In the full story:

• Permitting and Variance Updates
• Existing Conditions Exploratory Investigation
• Eversource Utility Coordination
• Soil Pre-Characterization Testing
• Establishing the Pre-Qualification Committee
• Administrative Office Relocation During Construction
• Project Schedule and Cost Reconciliation Timeline
• New Principal and Building Cleanout
• Invoice Approvals and Minutes
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,324 words

Source: the School Building Committee meeting of July 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.