Hingham Residents Express Concern Over New Middle School

Hingham residents and the Board of Selectmen expressed concerns over the new Middle School at Tuesday’s Selectmen Meeting.

John Riley, Chairman of Selectmen, wanted to explore the possibility of a geo-thermal sustainable energy source and requested that more information be provided to enable the Selectmen to make a decision on the final plan design. He also informed the public that he was part of the first class that went through the current Middle School after it was constructed in 1961 and that for some Hingham residents, this debate about a new Middle School is not new. 

“It was pointed out to me by a few citizens in Hingham that this is the second time they’ve been asked to help fund this particular Middle School,” Riley said. “And they have concerns.”

These concerns were brought to the floor when the discussion was opened for public debate and comment.

Lizzie Eldridge, a Union Street resident and a member of the Advisory Committee, wanted to know why the MSBA had recommended renovation last year and were now pushing for Hingham to be part of the Model School Project. Ted Alexiades, Town Administrator agreed that preliminary discussions had taken place with the MSBA before the storms in February but they had never gone as far as being seriously considered by the MSBA board. 

Eldridge was also unimpressed with the design of the school.

“It looks like a hotel in downtown Boston rather than a public school,” she said. “We have a moral obligation to make this school as efficient and cost effective as possible.”

Elizabeth Rockoff who lives on Pleasant Street,  thought that building a new school in a time of economic uncertainty was “inappropriate and unwise.” Instead Rockoff believed that the town should be focusing on teacher recruitment and retention.

“We owe it to our students to focus precious tax dollars primarily on teachers and not a building,” Rockoff said.  “We owe it to the citizens of the town, especially the elderly living on their retirement savings or our less affluent neighbors, to be more prudent stewards of our tax dollars.”

The School Building Committee will be holding a public meeting Wednesday to discuss the final designs and then will be meeting with the Advisory Committee on Thursday  before submitting the final plans for the project  to the MSBA on Friday.

The most notable difference in plans for the new school is the reduction in the height of the round "drum” design in the front of the school that will house faculty administration and be a focal point for public access.

Raymond Estes, Chair of the Building Committee, has continually stressed that estimates of a new Middle school building will cost close to $50-57 million and said constructing a new school is more cost efficient than renovating the current one.

The structural integrity of the current school has been in question since a winter snowstorm damaged the roof. Since then, to allow $600,000 to be spent on a feasibility study at the Town Meeting in April.

The project has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks with residents expressing concerns that not every avenue has been explored but Estes believes that the “path chosen” is the best one for the town and one that will get the financial support of the MSBA.

“What we’re designing is a Middle School that comports to the Model School Project and takes advantage of 21st generation cost efficiencies in terms of energy, cuts down on the costs of timing for construction and therefore costs of construction because of the shorter duration,” Estes said. “It takes advantage of the reduced design fees because of the adaptation of an existing designer of another school.”

The Board of Selectmen will decide on August 30 as to whether or not a Special Town Meeting will be called in October to discuss the Warrant Article currently being drafted by School Building Committee.