November 4th, 2019 by Carol Britton Meyer
Town Hall Facilities Study Committee Chairman Thomas Carey was onhand at a recent Selectmen's meeting to talk about potentially making short-term improvements to Town Hall prior to considering more long-term solutions to address the growing space needs. This includes the senior center, which is struggling with space issues in light of the town's growing senior population.
It's been 25 years since any major work has been done to the building," Carey said. "There are things that can be done to dramatically improve the working situation at Town Hall."
The committee has talked with every town department and entity based there -- including the administrative offices, police department, senior center, the school department, and Hingham Rec. Inadequate parking during peak times is a major problem.
Carey also noted that "the lack of parking is strangling the ability of the senior center and the school department" to meet their needs and to accommodate visitors."
Selectmen Chairman Karen Johnson also weighed in on the discussion. "We're not talking about a Taj Mahal project at this time," Johnson said. "Are there short-term dollars we can use to make changes that will last for the next couple of years?"
Carey, who is working toward coming up with solutions with Town Administrator Tom Mayo and Assistant Town Administrator Michelle Monsegur, noted that the "Town Hall campus" is conveniently located in the center of the community, "with a synergy among the joint users.”