Community Preservation Committee Recommends Funding Toward New Town Pool and Historic House Purchase

Photo courtesy of Hingham Historical Society.

By Carol Meyer

After months of considering nearly a dozen proposals for Community Preservation Act funding, the Community Preservation Committee is recommending several for consideration at the April Town Meeting, where voters have the final say.

Topping the list are $500,000 for the creation of design/construction documents for a new pool at South Shore Country Club and $772,000 to help pay for the purchase of the circa 1665 Benjamin Lincoln House at 181 North St. by the Hingham Historical Society.

Interesting fact: Its most famous resident, Major General Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810), was the fourth Lincoln to own the house, built by his great-grandfather, Thomas Lincoln. The Lincoln family has lived there continuously ever since.

Should the Society purchase the property, the owners have agreed to donate the home’s most historically-significant furnishings. Fundraising efforts are underway to cover the additional costs beyond the CPC recommendation.

Community Preservation Act funding comes from a 1.5 percent annual taxpayer surcharge that Hingham voters adopted in 2000. The state matches a portion of the funds. CPA funds may only be used for open space acquisition, historic preservation, community housing, and limited recreational projects.
The CPC is also recommending funds for: improvements to the Plymouth River tennis courts; restoration of the Second Parish clock tower; the Hingham Affordable Housing Trust's Housing Opportunity Fund; Lehner conservation area (off South Pleasant Street) improvements to mark the boundary between this land and adjacent private property rather than a fence; and clearing the brush from the historic Canterbury Street Cemetery and improving access to the property.

Your vote will count at the April 27 Town Meeting!

Any thoughts on any of these proposals?

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