October 7, 2022 by Carol Britton Meyer
The Nov. 1 Special Town Meeting will be held inside Hingham High School, with seating available under a tent for those who feel more comfortable being outside in a large crowd.
Town Administrator Tom Mayo said he expects the turnout could be as large as at the earlier town meeting featuring the water company acquisition warrant articles -- more than 2,000 citizens. "That wouldn't surprise me," he said.
The STM will be held in the HHS gym, with overflow attendees accommodated in the cafeteria and auditorium if necessary.
An assistant moderator will be assigned to the lighted outdoor seating space, which Mayo said may be heated due to the time of year the meeting is taking place. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available, but the seats will be set up as they ordinarily are, with no extra space in-between.
The Select Board unanimously voted in support of all three STM warrant articles, thereby supporting the proposed construction of a new Foster School and public safety facility off of Route 3A and creation of a stabilization fund comprised of excess revenue to help offset the tax impact if one or both of the projects wins approval at the STM and at the Nov. 8 ballot box.
"A tremendous amount of work by our staff has gone into these projects, and there's been a lot of community interest emerging lately," Select Board Chair William Ramsey said. "People have been asking me about the tax impacts and other questions. The need is there for both projects."
Board member Joseph Fisher said the time for a new Foster school is "yesterday" and that there is an "absolute" need for a new public safety facility.
The STM warrant will be delivered to the printer on Friday. A copy will be mailed to every Hingham household at least 14 days prior to the meeting date.
Can’t wait to learn what time of day.