March 11, 2026 By Carol Britton Meyer
After numerous requests from residents for improved lighting, a plan is in place through a collaboration between the DPW and Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant to install 27 streetlights and poles at the Station Street lot.
Thanks to the efforts of DPW Superintendent Ashley Broyer, the department is making available $78,000 in encumbered funds for purchasing materials for the project.
“HMLP is donating workday hours to complete the work, a substantial in-kind contribution,” Assistant Town Administrator for Operations Art Robert told the select board Tuesday night. The board approved the project.
“For years, the Station Street lot, the town’s primary off-street parking option in Hingham Square, has suffered from inadequate lighting, with 13 missing lights and poles,” Robert explained before the vote. “Ensuring full lighting will enhance safety in the lot and encourage parking [there] throughout the year.”
Broyer said her team “will do much of the manual labor and help get the whole parking lot lit up.”
The proposed lighting sets a single design standard for the Station Street area, “balancing the look and feel, cost, and safety,” he said.
On February 10, the Traffic Committee discussed the proposal and voted to support the project in the interest of public safety.
The Historic Districts Commission considered the proposal on February 19 and voted “to authorize the chair to sign a letter of support for the Station Street streetlamp replacement project.”
Select Board Chair William Ramsey noted that requests from residents for better lighting in that area could not be fulfilled due to a lack of funds at the time. “It’s fantastic that a source of funding has been found,” he said. “There are lots of cars there, especially at night with restaurant activity, and with all the downtown activities.”
The work is expected to begin this spring, with the goal of completing installation before the Fourth of July, when the area is particularly busy.
Broyer said abutters will be notified about the project.