April 9, 2025 By Carol Britton Meyer
There’s good news about the status of the long-delayed new South Shore Country Club pool project.
The select board provided a brief update concerning the earlier appeal of the pool permit to the Hingham Anchor on Wednesday.
“The court has stayed the case to allow time for the town to seek some modifications to the permits pursuant to a conditional settlement agreement,” the statement reads. “While the litigation currently remains open, we anticipate that in the near future, the permit modifications will be complete and the litigation will be dismissed. The parties will be providing the court with a status report on June 10, 2025.”
Two of the three modifications were approved on March 24 related to fencing and landscaping as part of the settlement. At that time, the planning board waived site plan review to permit an acoustic site wall around the pool.
The third modification — also part of the settlement — relates to the town providing additional parking at SSCC. “We’re putting together a plan to be presented to the planning board,” Select Board Chair Joseph Fisher told the Hingham Anchor.
Project appealed in 2022
As background — in the fall of 2022, some property owners living near SSCC appealed in Massachusetts Land Court 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 has delayed the start and completion of the project.
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.
Pool will feature 25-yard lap pool
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.
“The timeframe for construction of the pool has been paused, because the case has not yet been dismissed,” Fisher explained.
“Once it is, my hope is that we will move forward with the project expeditiously.” No further information is available at this time.
“A swimming pool is one of the benefits of living in Hingham, and people miss having one,” he said. “Families with kids enjoyed swimming in the former pool and are looking forward to bringing them to the new one.”
Stay tuned for updates.
