Volunteers needed: Naming bylaw related to public buildings and lands revisited

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October 30, 2019 by Carol Britton Meyer

The Selectmen are looking for volunteers to be part of a small working group to take a look at the existing town bylaw related to the naming of public buildings and public lands and to recommend appropriate changes that could potentially go before voters at the 2020 Town Meeting.

Selectmen Chairman Karen Johnson suggested the working group due to past, current, and future public-private partnerships for projects partially funded with private dollars.

Examples of this, noted Johnson, are Hingham Maritime Center — which leases Barnes Wharf from the town — and the town-owned South Shore Country Club, which both have major fundraising campaigns underway.

HMC has plans for a new boathouse and other major improvements, and SSCC is raising money for a new pool. Another example is the turf field at the high school.

“Public-private partnerships are the wave of the future,” Johnson said.

The thought is that there might be a desire to name a town-owned building or parcel of land after a particular volunteer or donor who has given generously of his or her time and effort or financially, and public-private partnerships are not addressed in the current naming bylaw.

The bylaw, approved by Town Meeting a number of years ago, was enacted following controversy about the naming of East School 10 years ago.

“We want to handle this issue in a constructive way,” Selectman Mary Power said.

The bylaw was created “to establish a process by which, in naming, renaming, or otherwise designating public buildings and public lands, the Town seeks to recognize individuals, locations, and/or events of significance in local history and local affairs.”

Johnson talked with Edward Siegfried, who served on the initial naming committee, to seek his input and knowledge about the issue. The new naming group will also seek guidance from the former naming committee.

Interested citizens are encouraged to fill out a talent bank application  — available here on the Town of Hingham website, hingham-ma.gov, and submit it to Town Administrator Tom Mayo in the Selectmen’s office.

The deadline to submit applications is Nov. 15 at 11 a.m.  Appointments will be made at the Selectmen's Nov. 19 meeting.

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