September 1, 2026 By Carol Britton Meyer
The select board voted recently to submit the schematic design and associated documents for the proposed Plymouth River and South Elementary School roof projects to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for partial reimbursement following a presentation by School Building Committee Chair Angela Thedinga.
The board also voted to include related articles on the Oct. 29 Special Town Meeting warrant to fund these projects. The estimate for the South School roof at this time is about $8.26 million, and the estimate for the Plymouth River roof project is about $16.06 million. Both those figures are subject to change.
The Special Town Meeting date coincides with the MSBA’s deadlines related to partial reimbursement under its Accelerated Repair Program for the elementary roof projects, at an estimated rate of 36.89%.
Both projects were submitted to the MSBA in spring 2025 and accepted into the Accelerated Repair Program in October 2025. The MSBA assigned the Owners Project Manager and designer firms in January 2026, and design work has been underway since that time.
“Once we submit the schematic design, the MSBA will schedule a meeting with the design team after about four weeks to determine what they will and won’t cover [related to the roof work],” Thedinga said. “At that point, these numbers could be modified. Leading up to the special town meeting, the town’s expected contribution will be determined,” contingent on voter approval of the projects.
Once the MSBA approves each project, the town has up to 90 days to authorize funding in order to maintain eligibility for MSBA partial reimbursement, hence the Special Town Meeting.
All 2025 School Building Committee meetings are public, and meeting materials are posted on the Committee website. Additional information will continue to be shared as the projects progress. Go to https://www.hinghamschools.org/o/hps/page/school-building-committee for further details.
Debt exclusion ballot questions
On Sept. 15, the select board will vote whether to include ballot questions related to debt exclusions to pay for the PRS and South School roof replacements on the Nov. 3 state ballot.
A debt exclusion is a temporary property tax increase to pay for a specific capital project over a certain number of years and requires voter approval – both at a town meeting and subsequently at the ballot box – in order to move forward.
On Sept. 22, the select board and advisory committee will discuss financing plan/debt scenarios and the expected tax impact of the PRS and South School projects.
A tax calculator will be available on the town website to help property owners determine what the impact of these two projects would be on their property taxes if the warrant articles pass.
For further information, go to https://www.hingham-ma.gov/719/Current-Warrant-Articles.
A Special Town Meeting timeline is posted at https://www.hingham-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/28763/2026-Special-Town-Meeting-Planning-Calendar