School Building Committee approves $256,222 in design invoices for high school project.

School Building Committee · Meeting of June 23, 2026

HINGHAM — School Building Committee approves $256,222 in architectural and engineering invoices for Hingham High School roof and HVAC design work. The committee, chaired by Angela Thedinga, unanimously approved four invoices from Dietz and Company and Gale Associates totaling $256,222 and conditionally approved two additional Dietz services ($70,700 for boiler-system modeling and $1,287.50 for drawing scans) pending legal review of funding source and corrections. Geothermal system design now requires 200 wells (Option 1) or 152 wells (Option 2), adjusted upward from earlier estimates after a 600-foot test well revealed lower-than-expected ground conductivity; an air-cooled chiller addition could reduce well counts by ten wells and save approximately $150,000 in net costs.

Preliminary lifecycle cost analysis shows Option 1 (ground source) at approximately $30 million net construction cost after a $9.9 million federal IRA tax credit and approximately $14 million in 40-year operational costs, versus Option 3 (air source) at approximately $26 million construction cost and approximately $17 million in operations, suggesting costs may converge; the committee deferred system selection pending completion of federal tax credit verification with a tax consultant, actual utility rate data from the Hingham Municipal Light Plant, and accurate building occupancy schedules, with a decision targeted for mid-July 2026 to maintain schematic design completion and construction manager procurement timeline.

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Source: the School Building Committee meeting of June 23, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.