Politics & Government
Selectmen Approve Main Street Canopy Replacement
Main Street to have replenished trees while possible improvements to Jackass Park are presented by Shade Tree Committee
Hingham residents who use Route 228 on a regular basis will be seeing a change to the trees that line the streets after Selectmen agreed to the replacing of the canopy.
The Shade Tree Committee, which was appointed in November 2010, is responsible for restoring the traditional character of the town through ongoing landscape design projects.
The Shade Tree Committee has requested initially that eight trees be replaced in the fall along Main Street with a further eight scheduled in Spring 2012. The final phase of the replenishment should occur in Fall 2012 when 10 trees will be replaced.
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Randy Sylvester of the Department of Public Works advised the Selectmen that there is room in the DPW budget for the tree replacements in the fall and the spring but he still wants to evaluate the existing trees and discuss the process with the Shade Tree Committee.
The Selectmen took note of Sylvester’s comments but agreed to approve the replacement of the tree canopy.
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The Shade Tree Committee is also involved in the re-design of Jackass Park, a small but historic part of Hingham that runs alongside Main Street.
Shirley Rydell, Chair of the Committee, showed Selectmen a sketch of improvements that could be made to the park with the intent on creating another small area of beauty flanking a busy commuter route.
According to the committee, 16 new trees would be bedded into the park with replacements for any trees that are dying. There would be more flowering plants and a paved resting area.
“Because of the traffic situation, we’re not encouraging children to play there,” said Rydell. “We deliberately did not incorporate a play area because of the traffic on surrounding streets.”
The Committee has received a gift of $27,000 from the Garden Club of Hingham and will be using $6,000 to install a water system to encourage low maintenance of the park following the advice of the DPW.
The plans are currently on display at and there will be a Public Hearing on August 4th for any residents who wish to learn more about the Jackass Park Design Project.
