Hingham Finance Committee Approves $3.4 Million for School Safety and Air Systems

HINGHAM — March 18, 2026 — Hingham Finance Committee votes $3.4 million for failing school fire alarms and ventilation systems. The committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend $2,605,437 from unassigned fund balance to replace the 26-year-old fire alarm system at Hingham High School, where Facilities Director Matt reported 29 active trouble alerts and parts sourced from eBay, and to replace four failing energy recovery units at East Elementary School at a combined cost of $860,000 for the ERUs and $1,745,437 for the fire alarm. A separate unanimous vote approved $770,000 for emergency repairs across three school buildings as a bridge to a larger roof project expected at town meeting in fall 2026 or spring 2027. The committee also cleared two civil service rescission articles for the fire and police departments, authorizing a combined not-to-exceed $750,000 from unassigned fund balance under separate union MOAs. A lengthy straw poll on whether to "claw back" $2.5 million in HCAL design funds into the construction borrowing — raising the figure from roughly $30 million to $32.5 million — produced a strong informal majority against the clawback, with members citing voter confusion and the roughly $1.5 million in additional interest costs, but no formal vote was taken and the question moves to the March 19 meeting.