Millis School Building Committee approves Fontaine construction contract and hears team introduction

The Town of Millis School Building Committee voted unanimously March 18 to approve a construction agreement with Fontaine that covers both pre-construction and construction-phase services and is structured as a guaranteed maximum price for the whole project. Chair moved the motion; it was seconded and passed on a voice vote.

The vote followed a committee review in which members said Vertex had reviewed the draft contract and a negotiator had secured about $42,000 in reductions from the original price. Chair said the town will complete any remaining municipal signatures with the Select Board this month. "That should take care of that," the Chair said during the meeting.

Fontaine’s project executive, Joel, introduced his team after the vote, saying the company was "very excited to be here" and was "ready to hit the ground running." He identified Chelsea Mutri as the vice president of pre-construction services, Nick Skibos as the superintendent and Griff Kucher as the project manager. Joel said he will be the main point of contact for the committee.

Committee members asked when residents would see activity on or around the school. Joel said full mobilization and on-site construction work are expected to begin roughly a year from now, but that limited investigative work — including planned test pits — is targeted for the April school vacation and additional exploratory work could occur over the summer. Joel said the team is planning exterior walk-throughs and will coordinate logistics to avoid disrupting drop-off, bus traffic and school operations.

Committee members also urged careful outreach after prior surveying in the neighborhood prompted confusion when crews were seen on private property. "We'll have to make sure that there's good outreach," the Chair said, noting social media alarm over earlier survey work.

The committee was told Fontaine would return signed copies of the agreement quickly and would proceed with pre-construction estimating and coordination with the town.