School Building Committee Presents Update on Middle School Project

On August 9, the Building Committee will formally request that the Board of Selectmen convene a Special Town Meeting and ballot vote this fall to consider a warrant article requesting a debt exclusion override to fund construction of the middle school project. 

The Hingham middle school project is on schedule for approval by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) at its September Board meeting. According to the building committee, the project is expected to cost approximately $50-$57 million, before MSBA reimbursement, which is projected to be between 40 and 44 percent.

The Building Committee will share project details and design with the community as well as  address and answer questions and concerns this project may raise.  One of many presentation forums to be held will specifically target middle school neighbors and abutters on August 4.  This meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Hingham Middle School cafeteria and questions and concerns will be addressed.

For months now, the School Building Committee has been meeting regularly, working on a solution to the facility and enrollment issues affecting the existing

Following the report of the Master Plan Review Committee (MPRC) in October, 2010, which confirmed the need to address concerns first identified in the 2006 School Facility Study Committee 10 Year Master Plan, the School Committee decided to explore the recommended options in the MPRC report including an addition/renovation of the existing building, construction of a new school, and a new school designed and constructed pursuant to the model school program of the MSBA. 

Due to both a recognition of Hingham’s need at the middle school level and the recent successful partnership in the development and construction of , the MSBA chose to work with Hingham again for a . 

As a result of the severe winter storms in January and early February, structural elements of the existing middle school were compromised rendering the addition/renovation option infeasible, at least with the participation of MSBA reimbursement dollars so coveted by the town of Hingham. 

An invitation to the MSBA’s model school program soon followed and School and Town officials quickly agreed the opportunity to increase the potential level of cost reimbursement was something that could not be missed.

At in April, voters approved funding for the feasibility and schematic design phase of the project.  (Mary Mahoney of KBA) and Architect (Ai3) and both professionals began work immediately to adapt the chosen model school (Whitman-Hanson High School) to suit Hingham’s middle school site, enrollment and programmatic specifications. 

Recently, the various required physical elements of a new school and initial designs of both interior layout and exterior siting and aesthetic have been critiqued and revised extensively.  Site investigations and preliminary permitting have been underway for some time with positive initial results.

The above release was submitted by the Hingham School building committee.