July 19, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer
The sweltering heat wave that has encompassed Hingham and the surrounding area for the past several weeks has led a number of residents to again request an update on the status of the long-delayed new South Shore Country Club pool. The construction continues to be delayed due to ongoing litigation.
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 Land Court process is continuing and, until it concludes, there will be a delay in beginning the construction of the new pool.
In response to an inquiry from the Hingham Anchor to provide an update on the project, Select Board Chair Joseph Fisher had this to say: “The litigation concerning the proposed swimming pool at the Country Club is ongoing in the Massachusetts Land Court. Members of the Select Board share the frustration of many residents that the pool project is delayed. The town is doing all that it can to move through the litigation process and to bring this to an acceptable and prompt resolution. Unfortunately, much of the timing in litigation is set by the court or influenced by the actions of opposing parties and not within the town’s control. In the end, the town intends to secure the ability to construct a swimming pool that will benefit our residents to the greatest extent possible for many years to come.”
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.