Hingham Foster Elementary School Building Project

11/03/2022

Voters on Tuesday approved borrowing about $114 million for a new Foster School and $46 million for construction of a public safety facility.

09/27/2022

Please see a recent Hingham Anchor article explaining the annual tax implications for the Foster School Building Project.

September 22, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer Following the recent Select Board discussion about the important decisions voters will be asked to make at the Nov. 1 Special Town Meeting and at the ballot box on Nov. 8 related to a potential debt exclusion to pay for the proposed new Foster School and pub...

07/27/2022

Important Notice

03/18/2022

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/17/metro/hingham-school-project-moves-schematic-design-phase/?p1=BGSearch_Advanced_Results

The plan to replace Hingham’s Foster Elementary School with a new building moved a step closer as the Massachusetts School Building Authority board voted to move the project into the schematic design phase.

03/10/2022

On Wednesday, March 2, the School Building Committee (SBC) voted unanimously to move forward with a geothermal HVAC system to provide heating and cooling service for the new school that will replace the existing Foster Elementary School. The SBC reviewed an in-depth analysis of four options before reaching its decision. Of the four options, three were all electric and one was natural gas. A comprehensive life cycle analysis, assuming a minimum of 50 years, was conducted for all four options. When looking at initial investment, operational and maintenance costs, equipment replacement costs and ancillary costs related to implementing each option, the geothermal was the most cost-efficient.

But cost was not the only factor in this decision. In pursuit of its goal of designing a net-zero-ready and otherwise environmentally-conscious school building, the SBC also considered the potential impact on the nearby natural resources and the neighbors who abut the school property. From the beginning of the feasibility phase, the SBC has been committed to exploring an all-electric option to heat and cool the new building because it’s the responsible thing to do for the Town. The project team continues to work together to support Hingham Climate Action Planning Committee’s goal of significantly reducing the Town’s carbon emissions by 2040 and eliminate society’s reliance on fossil fuels that have contributed to dramatic and significant changes in our global climate. The SBC has also been very thoughtful about the fact that this is a neighborhood school and particularly mindful of potential noise and aesthetics during preliminary design work. The other options would have required additional large equipment as well as noise and visual barriers on the roof if implemented that would have increased overall construction costs. For all of these reasons, a geothermal system was clearly the right choice.

For more information about this project, visit The School Building Committee page on the Town website. Members of the community are always welcome to attend our public meetings. Our next meeting is Wednesday, March 16 at 7 p.m.