Hingham Public Schools seek $770,000 for roof, HVAC repairs
HINGHAM — The select board voted on March 10 to recommend favorable action on a town meeting article that would allocate $770,000 for repairs at Hingham High School, Plymouth River Elementary School, and South Elementary School. Superintendent Kathryn Roberts said the work is necessary to keep the buildings safe and operational.
Roberts said that the buildings qualified for grants for repairs from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, but that urgent repairs are needed to maintain the heating system at Hingham High School and the roofs at Plymouth River Elementary School and South Elementary School until Hingham receives the grant money.
A contracted engineering firm estimated that overhauling the HVAC and boiler at Hingham High School would cost $300,000, Roberts said. If those repairs were not sufficient to heat the building, the town could use the remaining funds to install a temporary second boiler for $220,000, which Roberts called “undesirable for a number of reasons.”
If the $300,000 overhaul is enough to heat the building, the schools will return the unused funds to the town. Roberts said that the workers will “have a strong sense” of whether the overhaul will be sufficient once they assess the HVAC and boiler at the beginning of the project.
Repairs will likely begin over the summer, but may begin before the end of the school year if temperatures rise high enough to shut down the boiler, she said.
“We have had things like an April Fool’s snowstorm [in the past], and so need to keep limping along with the boiler,” Roberts said.
Other funds will go to repairs of the roofing system at Plymouth River Elementary School and South Elementary School, which Roberts said in an email “have also needed frequent emergency repairs and engineering review due to leaks, snow loads and other maintenance concerns.”
She estimated that the town will be able to undertake construction under the Massachusetts School Building Association Grant in 24 to 36 months. The grant is set to fund the development of schematic designs for the replacement of the roofs at all three schools and designs for an HVAC system at the high school, she said.
“We really do appreciate the support of the town and the townspeople,” School Committee Vice Chair Michelle Ayer said. “This is not a wishlist. These are items that we need to keep the schools safe for students and staff.”
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