August 16, 2023 By Carol Britton Meyer
Construction of the South Shore Country Club pool continues to be delayed due to ongoing litigation.
In the Fall of 2022, some residents living near SSCC appealed the Planning Board’s decision granting the Town of Hingham a Special Permit A-3 and site plan approval to construct a new pool facility, which delayed the start and completion of the project.
Select Board member Joseph Fisher read a statement from the attorney representing the town in the lawsuit Tuesday night, which states:
“As the Town has previously reported, the Planning Board’s permits were appealed in the Land Court by some property owners who live near the South Shore Country Club. The Land Court process is continuing and, until it concludes, there will be a delay in beginning the construction of the new pool. We will give you a further update once we know more.”
Although there was no discussion due to the litigation, Select Board Chair Liz Klein said the town is “doing everything we can to move the process along.”
The appeal followed an affirmative vote at the April 2022 Town Meeting appropriating an amount not to exceed $8 million for the town-owned pool facility. Because the Community Preservation Committee’s $550,000 pool funding recommendation passed under Article 17, the figure named in the related warrant article decreased by that amount.
This agenda item required a two-thirds majority vote, which was achieved — 317 to 95, or 77 percent of the citizens who participated in the vote. In order for the project to move forward, an affirmative vote was also required at the May 14, 2022, town election, which was the final outcome.
The plan includes a handicapped-accessible six-lane, 25-yard lap pool, a zero-depth entry pool, a bathhouse, equipment storage building, and a splash pad.
Although the pool design would accommodate an all-season “bubble” covering, any proposal beyond a summer pool would require future Town Meeting approval on the budget side.
You buy a property next to a country club but don’t want to see the towns citizens enjoying a swim at said country club . Why don’t we just eliminate golf , bowling , dining , tennis and functions