Hingham Center for Active Living Cost Estimate Lands Below $30 Million

HINGHAM -- September 30, 2025, Hingham's proposed Center for Active Living carries a $30.7 million total project cost, OPM Dan Palada told a joint Select Board and Advisory Committee session Tuesday. A value-engineering process trimmed the construction and site-work estimate from a reconciled $28.7 million to $26.5 million, with the new appropriation needed at Annual Town Meeting now pegged at $29.96 million, below the informal $30 million ceiling set by Select Board Chair Bill Ramsey. The building has been reduced 9.6 percent from its original 28,700-square-foot footprint to 25,950 square feet, with parking cut from 204 to 170 spaces. Advisory Committee member Brian Stack questioned why the per-square-foot cost, inflation-adjusted, runs 37 to 70 percent higher than comparable recent projects in Marshfield, Scituate, and Wellesley; Palada said Massachusetts public construction has risen faster than the CPI and that direct comparisons are difficult given differing site conditions and programs. Resident Anita Ryan raised concerns about federal deed restrictions on the Bear Cove Park site, arguing the federal government retains reversion rights under the land-to-parks grant deed. A design development cost estimate is expected in early December.