November 10, 2022 Submitted by Hingham Public Schools
The Hingham Public Schools are thrilled to announce that the Foster School Building Project will be moving forward after last night’s majority ballot vote. After an almost unanimous decision at the Special Town Meeting last week, the Foster School Building Project was placed on the ballot for the state election. At the ballot box, 72% of residents voted in favor of the project far surpassing the needed threshold of 51%. “The School Committee is incredibly grateful for the time and energy of so many in our community to ensure high voter turnout at Special Town Meeting and at the polls. The support of our community is humbling and we are incredibly grateful.” - Michelle Ayer, Hingham School Committee Chair.
Superintendent Adams released a video this morning on social media thanking many groups within Hingham for the support of the project. “Thank you for everyone's efforts to bring us to this point. It is a great day for our community, our schools, our students, our staff, and our families. We are so proud of all in our community who rallied together in support of the school. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this facility moving forward and what the future holds for our students.” - Dr. Margaret Adams in a video statement this morning.
The need for this project was recognized nearly a decade ago, but the School Building Committee was officially established in 2017. From the first steps of applying to the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) to working with project managers, architects, town boards, and committees, the School Building Committee has worked tirelessly to get to this point.
“We are so thankful to the community who came out to support this project and are excited to begin the next stage and the first phase of construction. The School Building Committee will continue working on this project and we welcome and look forward to continued participation from the Hingham community.” - Linda Hill, School Building Committee Chair.
The School Building Committee will now work to secure a contracting company and award a bid in the next few weeks. Phase 1, the site work, will begin in December. The projected date for the opening of the new elementary school is September 2024.