January 14, 2026 By Carol Britton Meyer
Director of Facilities Matt Meehan provided an update at Monday’s school committee meeting on recent repairs to the HVAC system at East School and to the high school boilers.
Director of Business & Support Services Aisha Oppong provided related updates on the status of the Extraordinary Capital Repair Account, which was approved at the 2025 Town Meeting for the purpose of supporting emergency capital needs at Hingham High School, Plymouth River Elementary School, and South Elementary School, specifically related to roof and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) rooftop unit systems.
The original balance allocated to this repair account was $500,000, of which $184,511 has been spent to date, according to Supt. of Schools Katie Roberts.
“Expenses have been incurred related to repairs of the high school and Plymouth River Elementary School roofs, as well as with the high school boiler, which had cracks that have been subsequently repaired,” Roberts explained.
Earlier this summer, there was also a significant repair to the South School roof that was identified during the replacement of the rooftop unit.
“As shared this fall, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted to accept three Hingham Public Schools building projects into the Accelerated Repair Program, which provides funding for the repair or replacement of roofs and heat pump conversions in schools that are otherwise structurally, functionally and educationally sound,” Roberts said.
In the coming months, the district will work with the MSBA to complete schematic designs for the South and PRS roofs and for both the roof and heat pumps for the high school.
“Once the schematic designs are complete and cost estimates are in hand, warrant articles for funding will be prepared for votes at a future town meeting,” Roberts said. “The MSBA typically funds 30-40% of accelerated repair projects, with the town responsible for the balance.”
Given the extent of repairs needed to the roofs and the HVAC system to keep them operational, the HPS administration is requesting an additional $500,000 through a town meeting warrant article this spring to keep the roofs and HVAC systems working until the full replacements have been completed.
The warrant article explains the need for additional “extraordinary capital repair funding.”