August 4, 2021 by Carol Britton Meyer
The Massachusetts School Building Authority invited the Town of Hingham to participate in its Accelerated Repair Program for much-needed replacement windows at Plymouth River School several months ago.
Along with that invitation came the requirement to approve a funding source for the town's share of the cost beyond the state's expected partial reimbursement for the project (roughly 34 percent).
The project involves replacing doors and windows and other repairs that will "materially extend the useful life of Plymouth River School," according to the motion for the vote that was taken at Tuesday night's remote School Committee meeting.
At that time, the Committee, in joint session with the Select Board and Advisory Committee, voted a not-to-exceed $3.9 million appropriation for the windows project from the School Department's $62 million Fiscal 2020 operating budget.
"There will be no impact on the school budget," Chair Kerry Ni confirmed, because this is a temporary measure to ensure that the project will move forward and that the necessary funds are in place by the end of August so that the project can go out to bid. (See details below.)
Prior to the vote, Select Board Chair Joseph Fisher indicated the board's support for the funding proposal. Advisory Board members attended because they want to be familiar with every aspect of the town budget, including appropriations.
One million in funding is already available as negotiated by an earlier select board in connection with the development of the Alliance/Bare Cove development on Beal Street, which reduces the cost to taxpayers.
As background to Tuesday's vote, Hingham Public Schools Director of Business and Support Services John Ferris reported to the School Committee recently that the language of an earlier Town Meeting article approved by voters to pay Hingham's share of the window project beyond what the MSBA is expected to contribute refers to this allocation as being a debt exclusion, which was not the intention. As a result, the School Committee voted the appropriation Tuesday night at his suggestion. The funds will be expended under the direction of the School Building Committee in consultation with the School Committee.
The next step is to ask Town Meeting voters in April 2022 to authorize moving the funds earlier appropriated but mistakenly referred to as a debt exclusion in the earlier Town Meeting vote back into the school budget.
Advisory Committee Vice-Chair Julie Strehle called this a "reasonable and creative solution."