Hingham Middle School Construction Underway

After months of discussion, elections and meetings, the construction of the new Hingham Middle School has begun.

The town held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday afternoon, which was attended by Hingham town and school officials along with Chairman of the Massachusetts School Building Authority State Treasurer Steven Grossman.

“I’m so excited,” said Hingham Schools Superintendent Dr. Dorothy Galo as she explained that after the completion of the school, Hingham would have six updated schools.

Hingham School Building Chairman Ray Estes was happy to announce that the construction is beginning on time and under budget by approximately $2.5 million.

Hingham Selectman Chair Laura Burns also gave positive news about the cost of the project.  Burns explained that Hingham will only be paying .1995 percent interest on the first down payment on the building of the middle school, which is a much lower interest rate than expected.

 Jack McCarthy, MSBA Executive Director and Treasurer, Grossman both commended the Town for its efforts over the past year.

“I commend them for all of the hard work they’ve done so far,” McCarthy. “They assembled a great team… I expect it to be on time, under budget, and well done.”

The $60 million project will replace the existing Middle School and the MSBA will reimburse the town 43.87 percent of eligible expenses.

The current school, built in 1962, suffers from a number of problems including overcrowding, undersized educational spaces and deficiencies in building systems including windows, roof and HVAC.

The MSBA has made $8.8 billion in reimbursements for school construction projects all over the state. These payments have saved municipalities over $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs and have provided much needed cash flow to communities.