May 27, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
The 2020 Annual Town Meeting will look and feel very different from past years, but Town Moderator Michael Puzo will carry on business as usual when it comes to presenting the warrant articles to voters -- who will be seated on the high school football field in accordance with social distancing guidelines and will be required to wear face masks in accordance with Gov. Charlie Baker's recent mandate.
The Selectmen, after consulting with Puzo and the town's public health and safety officials, decided to hold the meeting outdoors on the Hingham High School football field Saturday, June 20, at 2:00 p.m. , with a rain date of Sunday, June 21, with the same starting time.
"We plan to begin registration at 12:30 p.m. and will require attendees to practice social distancing for the entire event, starting with waiting in line to check in," Town Administrator Tom Mayo reported at last night's Selectmen's meeting. "Chairs will be placed at least six feet apart, if not more, on the football field."
A team of experts comprised of town staff is working on a comprehensive Town Meeting plan that includes traffic and parking, social distancing guidelines, cleaning/sanitization protocols, emergency response preparedness, and other issues. "We will share more details about Town Meeting in the coming weeks and will publish that information through multiple channels," according to Mayo.
Selectman Mary Power said she's been asked by some citizens why the town didn't considering conducting Town Meeting remotely this year. "The fact that we have an open town meeting format of government didn't give us that option," she said. "That drove the decision in many ways."
Town election update
At the request of Town Clerk Eileen McCracken, the board voted in favor of moving sub-precinct 5A from Linden Ponds, 201 Linden Ponds Way (Willard Square) to the Middle School, 1103 Main St. -- where Precinct 5 and 6 now reside -- for the June 27 town election only, in part at the request of a Linden Ponds resident.
"Precinct 5A was originally part of Precinct 5," Town Clerk Eileen McCracken said. "The election could have been held at Linden Ponds, but it's in [essentially] shutdown [mode right now due to COVID-19] and will remain that way until at least the first of July. There's room in the Middle School gym to accommodate [an additional] precinct. I think this will work out well."
McCracken explained that in-person voting will be allowed on the day of the town election for those voters who don't wish to submit an early voting or absentee ballot. More information will be available at a later date.
Visit https://hinghamanchor.com/absentee-and-early-voting-ballots-available-by-mail/#more-12214 for information about how to request and fill out absentee and early voting ballots.
Town reopening update
Mayo also provided an update on the town's reopening plan. "While municipal facilities are not yet open to the public, we continue to allow employees limited access to files and equipment necessary to improve their ability to serve the public," he said.
All town employees are following every facet of state guidance in developing a reopening plan for municipal operations, which includes employing additional COVID-19-related safety measures related to Personal Protection Equipment usage, enhanced cleaning protocols, signage, and training.