Milford High School Building Committee Approves $118,000 in Warrants, Eyes 2031 Opening

MILFORD — March 18, 2026 — Milford's High School Building Committee approved $118,144 in project warrants and received a detailed design update targeting a September 2031 school opening. The committee unanimously passed two warrants — $922.20 to project administrator Melissa Bullock and $117,222.22 covering invoices from HMFH Architects and Next Level — before owner-project manager James Riesel confirmed the town has not yet submitted its first MSBA reimbursement request and committed to adding a reimbursement-tracking column to future budget reports. HMFH architect Stephanie presented preliminary gross square footage projections for the three enrollment configurations under study: approximately 400,000 square feet for a grades 9-through-12 school, north of 450,000 for an 8-through-12 configuration with roughly 2,120 students, and more than 500,000 square feet for a 7-through-12 school approaching 2,500 students. The committee faces a hard June 18 MSBA deadline for its preliminary design program submission, requiring it to evaluate roughly 12 building options by May and narrow them to three finalists — a process the committee will structure using a weighted goals matrix organized around educational, facility, operational, and community-and-site criteria. District administration space was confirmed as MSBA-allowed but not reimbursable, while pre-kindergarten space was described as a strong candidate for reimbursement given Milford's high special-needs enrollment in that age group.