History of the Public Safety Facility Project

Efforts to Develop a New Public Safety Facility

• It has been evident for many years, that the existing conditions of Hingham Police Headquarters and the North Street Fire Station do not come close to meeting  the operational requirements of a modern police facility or fire station.
• The North Fire Station was constructed in 1942 and has had only minor repairs over its 80 year history.
• In 1998, the Hingham Police Department moved into its current location in Town Hall. The space the Police Department occupies was built in 1967, as an addition to the old Hingham High School. The space had originally been designed for educational purposes and was never able to satisfactorily meet the special needs of a police department.
• The Police Headquarters lost 1,500 s.f. of its already cramped and poorly planned space when the Town made a decision to locate the Emergency Communications Center serving several South Shore Communities in the space the Police were using, thereby reducing the space the Police Department could use.
• The 2015 Town Meeting established a Fire Station Building Committee and authorized funding to design renovations to the North Fire Station. After an extensive review of the conditions at North Fire Station, the Fire Station Building Committee determined that it was not feasible to renovate North Fire Station.
• The 2016 Town Meeting authorized funds to try to find another site to replace North Fire Station , however, after an exhaustive search, no potential sites were located that would meet the Fire Department’s requirements.
• A 3.07 acre parcel of commercial property that was formerly part of the Hingham Shipyard, located  at 335 Lincoln Street, subsequently came on the market and the Town entered into an Option to Purchase that parcel, subject to a subsequent vote by the Town to fund the  purchase. 
• The 2020 Town Meeting authorized the preparation of a Feasibility Study to determine if it was feasible to develop a new facility that combined a Police Headquarters and a new Fire Station on the  335 Lincoln Street  parcel.
• The Town hired the architectural firm Kaestle Boos and Associates (KBA), to perform a Feasibility Study and conceptual design for a combined Police Headquarters/Fire Station at 335 Lincoln Street. KBA has extensive experience designing police and fire stations.
• The 2020 Town Meeting also established the Public Safety Facility Building Committee (PSBC), to oversee the Feasibility Study and, if determined to be feasible, to oversee the design and construction of a New Public Safety Building, subject to future Town funding.
• The 2020 Town Meeting also established the Senior Center Building Committee that was authorized to oversee the design and construction of a project to expand  the size of  the Senior Center in Town Hall to include the space that would be vacated by the Police Department,  if the plans to move the Police Department to a new facility at 335 Lincoln Street are realized.
• In the Fall of 2020, after a preliminary determination of the size of a new Public Safety facility and a review of the existing conditions at 335 Lincoln Street, the PSBC determined that it was feasible to develop a combined Police Headquarters and Fire Station at the site.
• At a Special Town Meeting in November 2020, the Town authorized the expenditure of $5,525,000 to purchase the 335 Lincoln Street parcel for the development of a combined Police Headquarters and Fire Station. The Town proceeded to purchase the parcel.
• The PSBC proceeded to negotiate a new design contract with KBA that would cover all the design services that would be required on the Project, including the bid process and the administration of the construction contract, subject to funding by the Town.
• The PSBC also solicited proposals and negotiated a contract for Owner’s Project Management (OPM) services with the firm Hill International (Hill), subject to funding by the Town. Hill is an experienced OPM firm.
• At Town Meeting in May 2021, the Town authorized the expenditure of $1,600,000 to continue the design of the Project during the Schematic Design and Design Development Phases of the work. 
• At the 2022 April Town Meeting, the Town authorized additional funding in the amount of $1,585,000 to complete the design of the Project and to prepare the bid documents that would be used to procure construction bids for the Project.
• In November 2022, the Town authorized up to $46.7 million to construct, equip, and furnish a new Public Safety Facility at 335 Lincoln Street.  The project will be funded through a debt exclusion that was approved by both Special Town Meeting on November 1, 2022 and by the voters at the November 8, 2022 election. 
• The Town worked with Hill International (OPM) and KBA (architect) to bid out the project in the spring of 2023. The Town awarded the construction contract to Colantonio, Inc. in April 2023.  
• Construction is expected to begin in June 2023.