Hingham Select Board Reorganizes, Approves $63,072 Streetlamp Contract

HINGHAM -- May 5, 2026, Hingham Select Board installs new Chair Elizabeth Klein and approves $63,072 lighting contract for Station Street lot. The board voted unanimously at its May 5 meeting to elect Klein, previously a member, as Chair, with outgoing Chair William Ramsey nominating her and member Julie Strehle seconding. The board then approved a supply agreement with Stuart C. Irby Company, LLC d/b/a Irby Utilities, the sole bidder at $63,072, below a manufacturer estimate of roughly $68,000, for new streetlamps and poles at the Station Street Parking Lot, with delivery expected before June 30 and installation coordinated with Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant. The board also approved an outdoor seating expansion for The Beth at Hingham Shipyard from 92 to 150 total seats, routine ABCC ownership change filings for The Fresh Market of Massachusetts, and a Farmers Market beer-sales permit for Vitamin Sea Brewing of Weymouth. The meeting's longest discussion was a candid post-mortem on the 2026 Annual Town Meeting, where voters rejected the Center for Active Living senior facility, the proposed sale of 8 Short Street, and the possible conveyance of 86 Central Street; Ramsey warned that "an override in our future at some point" faces a skeptical electorate, while Klein said she has asked Town Administrator Tom Mayo to meet with Jen Young to explore alternative senior-service options.