April 19, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
Town Meeting 2022 will be held Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m., on the Hingham High School multi-purpose athletic field, at which time Hingham voters will consider 32 warrant articles.
These relate, in part, to pre-construction funding for a proposed new Foster School and a proposed new public safety facility to funding to pay for a new town pool and a hockey court at Cronin Field.
The rain dates are Sunday, May 1, at the same time and location, and Monday, May 9, inside the high school at 7 p.m.
Here's a snapshot:
- Article 6, town and school budgets
- Article 14, Plymouth River School windows project
- Article 17, Community Preservation Committee recommendations related to: potential funding for two new affordable single-family homes on Whiting Street; construction of a hockey court at Cronin Field; construction of a proposed new pool complex at South Shore Country Club, among others.
- Article 18, Proposed town pool at South Shore Country Club, requiring a 2/3 vote at Town Meeting and a subsequent affirmative vote at the town election on May 14 -- in an amount not to exceed $8 million (or less if the related request for $550,000 from Community Preservation Act funding toward the cost of the pool is approved)
- Article 22, Weir River Water System: requesting authorization to borrow for water capital improvements
- Article 23, request for funding for pre-construction costs for a potential new Foster Elementary School ($3.1 million)
- Article 24, request for funds to cover pre-construction costs associated with the proposed new public safety facility at 335 Lincoln St. (up to $1.6 million)
- Article 25, proposed reduction of speed limit to 25 miles per hour on any roadway in a thickly settled or business district that is not a state highway, in the interest of public safety.
- Article 26, related to the possible transfer of care, custody, and control of a portion of transfer station property to the Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant for the construction and operation of a new electrical substation. If passed on a two-thirds vote, a later Town Meeting would be asked to authorize construction funding of an expected $55 to $60 million, to be paid by HMLP customers. (HMLP has already set aside significant funds to help mitigate the impact of the debt service on ratepayers for this project, if approved, according to town officials)
- Article 27, High School tennis court rehabilitation
- Article 28, five-year lease for special educational school transportation vehicles
- Article 29, related to amending the zoning by-law, including gender neutral and other term revisions
- Article 30, amending the zoning-bylaw related to residential accessory uses (required 2/3 vote to pass).
Among the Town Meeting voters have the final say on all the articles.
For further information, refer to the Town Meeting warrant, which was mailed to every Hingham household.