New Middle School Wins

Hingham students will see a bright future as residents Saturday voted in favor of the Middle School Project by a 3,078 to 2,353 vote margin.

The High School Fields Project was also voted in, receiving 3,770 yes votes compared to 1,661 No votes.

Voter turnout was average for a Town Election with 33.8 percent of registered Hingham voters braving the bad weather to cast their vote at the designated Polling Stations located at the High School, Middle School and Linden Ponds.

According to Eileen McCracken, Town Clerk, there had been a steady flow of residents throughout the day at each voting location. "Everyone seemed to come early to get ahead of the weather, but it dropped after 6 p.m." she said.

North Street resident Tom O'Brien had not attended the Special Town Meeting on Monday but was well aware of the discussions surrounding the two questions on the Official Ballot. "We received a flyer in the mail and phone calls at home," he said. "The flyer educated us on the issues but I think it's in the best interests of everybody in the town to provide adequate education facilities."

Ray Estes, Chair of School Building Committee, had spent the days following the approval at Special Town Meeting nervously waiting for the second affirmation of support for the projects. Now that the vote was in, he was able to smile and look forward to "having an adult beverage shortly".

"I'm almost speechless, there has been so much emotion and hard work," Estes said. "So many people have worked so hard that it's unbelievable to realize that we're at this point and we can move forward to do these huge projects for this town. It is a great day for the town, a victory for the town and I hope we can all enjoy it for years to come."