Town of Hingham Massachusetts - Town Government & Services, Departments: Public Works

The Department of Public Works is responsible for the care and maintenance of public roadways, sidewalks, drainage systems, shade trees, parks, grounds, recreation fields, athletic fields, the Town's Recycling and Trash Transfer Facility, and snow and ice control on all public, and certain private roadways. As of October 1st, 2001 there are approximately 136 miles of public roads, including unaccepted subdivisions, approximately 20 miles of private roadways, and approximately 10,000 public shade trees in Town.

DIRECTIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OFFICES

The Department of Public Works is located at 25 Bare Cove Park Drive. The entrance to Bare Cove Park Drive is off of Fort Hill Street, directly across the street from the West Hingham train station and next to Thomas Auto Body. As you follow Bare Cove Park Drive, take your first right and bear to the left up the hill.

Click on the links below for information:

PLOWING OF PUBLIC ROADS
PLOWING OF PRIVATE DRIVES AND PRIVATE WAYS
PUBLIC SHADE TREES
STREET OPENING PERMITS
RECYCLING AND TRASH TRANSFER FACILITY

PLOWING OF PUBLIC ROADS
The Department is responsible for snow and ice control on all public roads, most public driveways and parking areas, and certain private ways and unaccepted subdivision roads. Residents are required to comply with the following guidelines relating to public ways:

Do not rake leaves or other debris onto public ways.
Uncover the storm drain in front of your house if covered over with leaves, snow or other debris.
Do not plow or throw snow from private property onto the street or sidewalk.
Do not pump water from sump pump onto a public street or sidewalk.
Do not plow in or block sidewalks with snow or a motor vehicle.
Do not park a vehicle overnight on any public way, especially during snow season, November 15th to April 15th. This interferes with efficient snow removal.

Private Ways and unaccepted subdivision roadways will be plowed in accordance with the following policy:

PLOWING OF PRIVATE DRIVES AND PRIVATE WAYS

Within subdivisions approved since July 1, 1980, private ways which have been approved and have been constructed in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Planning Board of the Town of Hingham, but are not yet accepted as public ways, will be plowed for a maximum of three seasons and are not subject to the conditions contained herein. However, a private way will not be plowed if a Planning Board decision or a covenant places that responsibility with the homeowners.
Specifically excluded from plowing, are non-municipal multi-unit housing complexes, parking lots, shopping center plazas, areas or malls, and similar areas.
The private ways must contain two or more residences in existence, and constructed prior to July 1, 1980, with each residence fronting on the private way.
The private way must be safe for plowing equipment to enter the area.
The road surface of the private way must be paved in a manner acceptable to the Superintendent of Public Works and be in good repair and the way must be a least (10) feet in width throughout its entire length.
The private way, at the time of plowing, must be clear of vehicles.
All owners of property on said private way must sign an agreement releasing and waiving any liability against the Town, its agents, officers, servants or employees, and agreeing to indemnify and hold harmless the Town, its agents, servants, officers or employees, from any damages whatsoever. This agreement must be executed each year.

PUBLIC SHADE TREES
Public Shade Trees, which are defined as any tree located either partially or entirely within the layout of a public road, are protected under the provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 131, section 40, the Public Shade Tree Act. Cutting, trimming or pruning or removal of any such tree requires a permit from the Tree Warden. In addition, no one may affix (e) a notice, sign advertisement, or any other thing to a public street tree.

STREET OPENING PERMITS
A Street Opening Permit is required for any work within the layout of a Public Way in the Town of Hingham. This includes the installation of driveways or utility lines or services, installation or alteration of stonewalls or fences or other structures, or any project that result in changes in drainage patterns. In general, the public utility company is responsible for obtaining the necessary Street Opening Permit for service installation. A handbook entitled "Rules and Regulations Governing Street Excavations" may be obtained at the Public Works Office, 25 Bare Cove Park Drive. It should be noted that except for emergencies, a public way may not be opened for a period of five (5) years following resurfacing or reconstruction.

2009 Annual Report

The Department of Public Works is responsible for the care and upkeep of approximately 140 miles of public roads and unaccepted subdivisions, 100 miles of drain lines, 10,000 drainage structures, 60 miles of sidewalks, and over 10,000 public shade trees. We maintain numerous parks, grounds, islands, recreation and athletic fields, playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, parking areas, skating areas, beaches, public buildings, the Town Forest and two Town nurseries.

We maintain and provide other assistance for the upkeep of Conservation areas, the Bare Cove Park, and numerous other public properties throughout Town. We also assist other Town departments with bidding, procurement, building maintenance, and vehicle maintenance and repairs.

The Department of Public Works is directly responsible for snow and ice control on all public roadways, parking areas, public buildings, driveways, schools, sidewalks and certain private ways and unaccepted subdivisions. We are also responsible for the operation of the Town’s Recycling and Trash Transfer Facility, as well as, the monitoring, maintenance, and closure of the Town’s former Sanitary Landfill.

Highway Division

The following roads were either Reconstructed or Resurfaced:

Mast Hill Road
Wanders Drive
Upland Drive
Saw Mill Pond Road
Arnold Road
Thompson Ave
Sanborn Road
Clifford Court
Dwiggins Pathe
Charles Everett Way
Isaac Sprague Drive
John Hazlitt Lane
Franklin Rodgers Road
Edgar Walker Court
Bare Cove Park Drive

North Street (Central St. to South St.)
South Street (#70 South to North St.)
Beal Street (Fotler Rd. to Wm. B. Terry Drive)
Central Street (North St. to South St.)
Main Street (North St. to South St.)
Main Street (Merrymount Rd. to Whiting St.)

Sidewalk Reconstruction:
Main Street (Merrymount Rd. to Whiting St.)
Beal Street (Fotler Rd. to Wm. B. Terry drive)

Maintenance Operations; Painted & Marked, Swept & Cleaned 139 Miles of town owned roadways and 60 miles of sidewalks. Inspected and maintained 5,139 Drainage Structures and Outfalls, Install, repair, and maintain 3,500 traffic and street signs.

Vehicle Maintenance; The new facility allows us to maintain the DPW’s and Transfer Station equipment safely and more efficiently. This equipment includes 10 Dump Trucks w/ sanders and plows, 8 ¾ Ton Pickup Trucks w/ plows, 3 Sidewalk Plows, 4 Front End Loaders, 2 Backhoes, 2 Street Sweepers, 1 Bucket Truck, 1 Logging material handler, 1 Chipper, 10 Mowers, Chainsaws, and 2 Rollers. The DPW Shop also has maintained vehicles for the Board of health, Assessors, Building Department, Bare Cove Park, and Town Hall.

Snow and Ice Control: (57” of snow): (8) Snowplow Operations, (31) Sanding Operations.

New Equipment: None

Special Projects/Maintenance: Work in 2009 Assisted Bare Cove Park Foundation Demolition & Abatement Project by supplying woodchips & Trucking.

Tree and Park Division:
Tree Plantings: 53; Tree Removals: 170

New Equipment: None

Special Projects/Maintenance:
On-going maintenance includes the upkeep of two nurseries and the George Washington Town Forest, corrective tree work including pruning, cabling, spraying, and when required, removal of trees throughout Town. We maintain approximately 110 parks and traffic islands, over 1,000 acres of park/and open space, and over 10,000 public shade trees throughout the Town. We also provide assistance to various other boards, departments and committees.

The Garden Club of Hingham donated two trees for Arbor Day, a Redbud Tree planted at Old Ordinary (garden House) and a Franksred Sunset maple that at was planted on the Tunnel Cap (South St.) as part of our Annual Arbor Day celebration. Hingham was named as a Tree City USA for the 21st time in recognition of the Town’s strong commitment to caring for and protecting our public shade trees. We feel our staff’s knowledge and experience is truly an asset to the Town, and we are glad to answer questions regarding the tree and shrub care and maintenance.

Recreation Division:
The Recreation Division is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of athletic fields, tennis courts, recreation areas, playgrounds, and other open spaces throughout the Town. The Recreation Division mows and maintains Pal Field, Haley Field, Center School Field, Hull Street Park and Field, Hersey Playground and Field, Bradley Woods Park and Kress Playground Park and Field, the harbor waterfront area, and numerous other public grounds, areas, and schools.

The Recreation Division also assists with maintenance improvement of public roads, drainage, trees, and other Town property, and assists with snow and ice control throughout the Town. Working with the Highway Division and several private contractors we reconstructed, painted, and lined the tennis courts at Cronin Field. Other special projects include the cleanup and clearing along Downer Avenue, maintenance work in Bare Cove Park and site work for the new Hersey Street Field Playground.

New Equipment: None

Hingham Trash Transfer and Recycling Facility:
Last year we transferred 6,673 Tons of household rubbish to the SEMASS trash to energy facility in Rochester and 813 tons of bulky waste and demolition to the Bourne Landfill and New England recycling in Taunton to be recycled. Hingham residents recycled 2,320 tons of mixed recyclables, 4,000 tons of brush, logs and yard waste, 15 Tons of tires, 2,100 gallons of motor oil, 167,600 pounds of electronics, and handled 276 cars with household hazardous waste. The Returnable Bottle-Can Program donated approximately 269,380 cans and 55,600 plastic bottles for a total of $16,262 to 25 different Hingham Youth Organizations for the year. The success of our recycling program provides relief from increasing waste disposal fees, benefits the environment, and helps our youth organizations.

In 2009 approximately 4,500 cubic yards of compost was made and available for the use of the DPW (to save cost) and to the public. Also, the grinding brush and logs resulted in 4,000 cubic yards of woodchips and mulch that was utilized in Bare Cove Park.

With the installation of a vehicle counter, the Transfer Station accepts an average of 6,000 to 8,000 cars per week.

With disposal costs projected to rise steadily in the future, the economic benefits of separation and recycling cannot be overemphasized. We urge residents to maximize their recycling efforts and to reduce waste disposal through separation, recycling and composting. The Department of Public Works is happy to answer any questions regarding recycling, composting, or use of the Recycling and Trash Transfer Facility.

The Baler was refurbished in the Recycling Building

New Equipment: Vehicle Scale

Interdepartmental:

On behalf of the Department of Public Works, I would like to thanks the members of the DPW building Committee for a beautiful new building with office, repair and storage facilities which is located on 25 Bare Cove Park Drive. It has been a pleasure to service the Town out of our new building which allows us to perform our work more efficiently. The new building has also allowed the DPW to consolidate our departments which has saved in expenses and has allowed the DPW to use its workforce more efficiently. We will continue to do our best to meet our obligation to provide necessary and essential services for the Town of Hingham.

On behalf of the Townspeople of Hingham, I would like to thank and commend all the employees of the Department of Public Works who sacrificed many long hours last winter to keep our roads safe and passable, and who are frequently called upon to work under adverse conditions dealing with weather related and other types of emergencies. I would also like to thank all of my office staff for keeping the Public Works Department Office operating in an efficient and professional manner.

A special thanks goes to Franks Reynolds who has retired from the DPW this year. Frank worked for the DPW for 23 years. He retired as the Transfer Station Heavy Equipment Operator. Frank also worked for the highway division of the DPW. On the behalf of the town’s people and the DPW, I would like to give a special thanks to Frank Reynolds for his 23 years of service and dedication to the Town of Hingham. I would also like to thank Mike Cavanaugh for his service as a temporary employee to the Town of Hingham and wish him well in the future.

Randy Sylvester