January 20, 2021 by Carol Britton Meyer
Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 since last March, town departments have continued to serve Hingham citizens well -- whether virtually -- or more recently, from their offices on staggered schedules.
Services range from contactless pickup of books and other library materials to 2,700 telephone calls checking in with 913 of the town's oldest seniors.
Town Administrator Tom Mayo praised the "heroic" efforts of all town staff -- and in particular, the health department -- while at the same time acknowledging the impact on their families.
"We're so grateful for everyone's dedication -- I know it's not easy," Selectmen Chair Mary Power said.
During a 2-1/2-hour discussion related to several proposed fiscal year 2022 town department budgets (available on the town website, hingham-ma.gov),highlights of how each department works -- and the effects of COVID-19 -- were shared.
Budget reviews begin this Thursday at 7 p.m.Check the calendar on the town website for details.
While it hasn't by any means been business as usual, town department heads and others sharing their proposed budgets remain optimistic.
* Bare Cove Park -- BCP Committee member Rikard Johnson noted that "a lot more people have been out enjoying the park [during the pandemic], making better use of [this recreation area]." Meanwhile, various maintenance projects are underway.
* Elder Services -- "This past year has looked very different for us," Director of the Department of Elder Services Jennifer Young said.
The number of older residents in town has risen from 7,000 10 years ago to close to 9,000 today.
DES' mission is to "support the independence and ongoing personal development of Hingham’s population 60 and older, advocate for their needs, and work to enhance the quality of their lives."
In response to Power's question about how the senior center enhances the lives of its older residents, Young called it "a diamond for the community. We see seniors who have been coming here for years to remain connected with their friends as well as a lot of newer seniors coming here because of a life change. . . . Our programs are geared toward meeting the spiritual, emotional, social, and physical needs of our seniors."
Because the senior center has remained closed throughout the pandemic, 16 virtual programs per month via zoom are offered. There's also a new Hingham Senior Center YouTube channel.
Young expressed appreciation for the 130 volunteers who have and are helping out -- representing 8,732 hours served -- the equivalent of $280,734 based on a volunteer value of $32.15 an hour.
* Bathing Beach Trustees -- The Bathing Beach is managed by the trustees "as a park, bathing beach, or playground for the benefit of the people of Hingham."
Trustee Ed Johnson reported that the snack shop -- which opened last September for a couple of months -- had more customers than at first anticipated. "A lot more people came to the beach because of the snack shop and the brick walkway at the end of the summer and into the fall and because of the pandemic," he said.
The snack shop is expected to reopen in April for the new season.
It's unclear at this time whether the Hingham Farmers Market will operate from the bathing beach parking lot for its Spring to late Fall season, according to Trustee Chris Daly. "We haven't heard from the market [organizers] yet and we don't know what the town's preference will be," he said.
Power noted that a number of beach enhancements have taken place over the past several years, including the new bathhouse (with the snack shop and community room) beach grass planting, and other improvements.
"The Bathing Beach is a now a much more inviting place," she said. "It's become a destination, and it's nice that there is public access to this great resource."
Johnson said he expects Summer 2021 to be even busier than last year.
* DPW -- According to DPW Supv. Randy Sylvester, the public works staff maintains 140 miles of public roads, 60 miles of sidewalks, 10,000 public shade trees, 80 pieces of snow removal equipment, 3,100 traffic and street signs, and five sets of signal lights.
"Since COVID-19 hit last March, the average number of weekly trips to the transfer station has increased -- from 7,000 to about 9,000 in 2020," Sylvester said, because more people are working at home.
On another subject -- composting -- Sylvester said he's looking into a Department of Environmental Protection personalized composting grant program, whereby the DPW would obtain the bins and sell them to residents for a nominal fee for home composting. "A lot of towns are doing this," he said, noting that it would be difficult to install a composting site at the transfer station with the way it is currently designed.
Sylvester will work with the Cleaner Greener Committee -- with the mission to promote and encourage efficient long-range waste planning with a focus on recycling through the use of communication/education, facilitation, and best practices -- in implementing a home composting program.
"I'd like to get it going for either Earth Week [in April] or for Arbor Day [on April 30]," said Sylvester, who is waiting to hear back from the DEP.
There will be a discussion in the near future about possibly adjusting transfer station fees after comparing Hingham with other communities.
* Hingham Public Library -- The library had a banner year in 2020, despite COVID-19 challenges. Prior to its closing in March due to the pandemic, 165,623 people of all ages visited the library.
A huge number of books, e-books, music CDs, movies, magazines, digital and electronic equipment items, art, puzzles, and games were loaned to adults, teens, and children from among the town's 11,280 active library card holders.
When COVID arrived, "we had to change the way we did business overnight," Director Linda Harper said. During the pandemic, e-book usage has increased by more than 32.7 percent and collections/databases by more than 100 percent.
All library materials are quarantined for five days in accordance with Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners standards.
The library is in the process of developing a new Long Range Strategic plan for Fiscal 2022-2026.
* Town Clerk -- Much to the relief of Town Clerk Eileen McCracken and her staff, there will only be one election this year -- the annual town election on May 1.
The Town Clerk's office has issued a good amount of marriage licenses, including couples from other towns not offering this service during COVID-19.
The required paperwork is emailed, and once the couple sends the form back, the Town Clerk's staff checks that the information is complete. The couple can then set up an appointment following a three-day waiting period to sign the paperwork in the Town Clerk's office. "Only a few couples didn't come back!" she said.
In other business at the meeting:
* The selectmen authorized Mayo to write a response to an Open Meeting Law complaint filed by Patrick Higgins and Associates on January 4, 2021 related to the board's Dec. 22 meeting. No details were provided.
* Gov. Charlie Baker signed the paperwork necessary for the town to implement -- as early as next fall -- a new property tax relief program supported by an earlier Town Meeting for seniors who meet certain income and asset criteria "to help alleviate some of the tax burden on seniors," Power reported. Sen. Patrick O'Connor, Rep. Joan Meschino, and Rep. James Murphy assisted with this effort.
The selectmen will provide further details about this tax relief program at an upcoming meeting.