The concept of town meetings is deep rooted in American history. This method of decision-making actually began in the early 1600s in New England settlements, specifically in towns like Hingham. Quickly becoming a staple in local government, town meetings allowed community members to exhibit self-governing abilities through collective decision making and discourse. While in the 1600s participation may have been limited to white men who owned property and practiced a certain religion, town meetings today provide each member of the community with an opportunity to share their opinion on subject matters that influence their experiences in the community.
This most recent town meeting in Hingham proved important due to two articles that were passed. The first was article 20, proposing to spend two million dollars to build 12 pickleball courts. This article proved controversial as it passed on night one of the meeting, but there was a motion to reconsider the article on night two. This motion failed as two thirds of the community members present would have needed to vote to reconsider the article. While pickleball has become increasingly popular in recent years, some members of the community feel as though the courts are unnecessary given other issues the town needs to address first. Additionally, numerous individuals worry about the noise from the courts, concerned that the proposed noise mitigation will be insufficient. Junior Hannah Givney expressed, “I think this is a misuse of our resources and is not efficient. I think we should draw lines on our tennis courts instead as a possible solution to save money.” Bryan Ma, junior at HHS, agreed with this sentiment explaining, “I think that pickle ball courts are great, but I think creating lines on the tennis courts could also work.”
The second passed was article 32 where the school committee asked to replace the turf at the high school as it needed to be renewed after primarily being installed in 2013. Many people spoke, highlighting the importance of the field for not only sporting events, but also events such as graduation and the occasional town meeting. The field hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, and Football teams depend on this field during their respective seasons as they can play on the turf in poor weather with it not requiring the upkeep and regulation of a regular grass field. Joe Griffin, advisory committee member, highlighted that “over 100 games are played on the turf each year,” emphasizing the need for the field. Varsity field hockey and lacrosse player Libby Rogers expressed, “I think the turf is definitely really important for especially field hockey. I am really excited that the renewing of the turf was passed!” Although there were some concerns over the chemicals used in the turf and their possible effect on Hingham’s athletes, the town ultimately decided that these possibilities did not have enough supporting evidence to influence the overall opinion to pass the article.
