November 11, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
A large number of parents were on the line for the Selectmen's remote meeting last night in anticipation of the earlier posted Fiscal 2021 Financial Management Plan update, in joint session with the Advisory Committee and the School Committee.
At the beginning of the meeting, Selectmen Chair Mary Power announced that, after consulting with the Advisory Committee chair, part of the agenda had been postponed because the town needs additional time to prepare the presentation: "We're hoping it will be on the November 17 agenda, which will be posted this Friday," Power said.
During the public comment period at the end of the meeting, Susan O'Horo shared her thoughts. "As you know, I'm working with 'Supporters of the Hingham Public Schools' in circulating a petition [calling for full funding of the Hingham schools]," she said. "There are many people on the call tonight who were looking forward to discussing the HPS operating budget... Most of us are really strong advocates for increasing the school budget and not just talking about Foster School."
O'Horo asked how many hours' notice is required to delete an item from an agenda and why it was changed for last night's meeting. Power apologized to "those who arranged their schedules to participate" and went on to explain the Open Meeting Law does not require 48-hours notice for a change as does the posting of an initial agenda.
Power went on to say that the purpose of the financial plan update is not to review the school operating budget, but rather to provide an update on the fiscal 2021 financial management plan. "The Selectmen, Advisory Committee, and the School Committee adopted a financial management plan [earlier this year] that basically said how we are going to try to manage our finances this year given the uncertainty of COVID-19," Power said. "The plan calls for a quarterly review of this plan—looking back to see how we did in the past quarters and what's coming looking ahead."
Power declined to speak further about the issue because such a discussion was not on the agenda.
In Other News...
Foster School Update
Power said the Massachusetts School Building Authority now has a set enrollment number, which will help determine the size of the proposed new school and the classrooms; Foster School is working with the MSBA to potentially gain acceptance into their partial reimbursement program.
"While this is a procedural step, it's an important milestone as we continue to work with our School Department colleagues for the replacement of Foster School," Power said.
New Streetlight for Gardner Street
The Selectmen supported the Traffic Committee's recommendation to install a streetlight in the vicinity of 371 Gardner Street in cooperation with Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant to provide better lighting for the well-traveled roadway, which is narrow in that area.
There was a rollover at that location last year, and there are normally a couple of crashes a year there.
"We felt that additional lighting and signage would be a nice safety addition," Sgt. Jeffrey Kilroy of the Hingham Police Traffic Division said.
Hingham Resident Celebrates Special Day
Power offered longtime Hingham resident Phyllis Chapman, who has many friends from her Senior Center activities, the board's best wishes on the occasion of her 103rd birthday recently, which was marked by a socially-distanced walk-by celebration while she was at a hairdresser appointment at a salon on Station Street. Well-wishers walked by, displaying congratulatory signs and birthday cards.
"Everyone was lifted up," Power said. "This event reminded me of the great friendships that come from people engaging in their community."
Donation
Power thanked Hingham Housing Authority Executive Director James Marathas for donating face masks to the town for use by employees, including public safety officials, after securing a large number of them for the Hingham Housing Authority.