Hingham Selectmen Make Short Work of Ongoing Issues

The agenda may have looked crowded for the Selectmen on Tuesday but it turned out to be more about signing off on current projects as opposed to the need for serious discussion on any new business.

Public Hearings With Verizon

With no representative from the cable company present, the Selectmen were informed that there had been an email request to postpone the hearings to discuss Verizon's work on Volusia Road, New Bridge Road and Manatee Road. No information as to why this had been requested was given and the hearings have been postponed until further notice.

Addition of Landlord as Holder of Beneficial Interest in Liquor License for Alma Nove.

Although Alma Nove has been open for some time, it appears that the original application for the liquor license did not include Samuels & Associates Hingham LLC, the Landlord of the property.

Under ABCC licensing guidelines, the Landlord is required on the lease agreement, as alcohol sales in the restaurant(s) are included in the annual calculation of Percentage Rent.

Matthew Ray, representing Shipyard Ventures LLC, also advised that the liquor license for the shipyard's new burger restaurant, Wahlburgers was due to be issued on Wednesday.

Department of Public Works Contracts 

Randy Sylvester, Superintendent Hingham Public Works, presented the Selectmen with two agreements for signature in respect of the provision of environmental and supplemental services for the Municipal Landfill Project and the purchase of rock salt for the forthcoming winter.

The landfill capping is proceeding on schedule and Sylvester advised that the upper portion has already been capped with liner and the next step is to put sand into the drainage layer. Work on the lower portion is due to begin this week and Polaris Consultants LLC have been appointed to provide services to the Town relating to water quality, soil gas monitoring and state mandated year-end reporting. The sum of $21,300 will be paid to Polaris for these services for the period September 2011 to August 2012.

With winter on the horizon, the Selectmen also agreed to continue purchasing rock salt from Eastern Minerals LLC. The exceptional conditions from last winter saw the DPW purchase more rock salt than was eventually needed but the hope is that any of the surplus left will ensure that the Town is well prepared for the forthcoming months. The price per ton has not increased this year and the DPW will still pay Eastern Minerals $47.20 per ton for the continued delivery of rock salt.

Appointment of Town Counsel 

After spending the summer reviewing the Town’s ability and access to legal services, the Selectmen agreed that the firm of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey and Lehane LLP would be retained by Hingham.

There had been other applications for the right to represent the Town but it was felt by the Selectmen that as Town Counsel had been the same for twenty-five years, any change in legal representation would represent a steep learning curve for both the Town and any newly appointed legal representation.

The full process that the Selectmen went through in interviewing prospective applicants for the position can be found in the minutes for September 19 which are available to view on the Town of Hingham website.