Hingham Water Board Approves New 30-Year Tower Lease Projecting $1 Million

HINGHAM -- March 24, 2026, Hingham's Board of Water Commissioners unanimously authorized a new lease with SBA Monarch Towers 1, LLC, for a wireless communication tower at 900 Main Street, projecting more than $1 million in revenue over 10 years. Chair William Ramsey and Commissioners Liz Klein and Julie Straley approved the agreement at the March 24 meeting after a presentation by Chief Procurement Officer David Sequeira and Water Superintendent Russell Tierney. The lease sets a first-year ground rent of $50,199 with a 4 percent annual escalator, guaranteeing roughly $600,000 in base rent over the initial decade, plus a 35 percent co-location fee on gross carrier revenue from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The deal carries an initial 10-year term with two optional 10-year extensions. All revenue flows to the Weir River Water System budget. Tierney also told the board that an AMI procurement drawing seven proposals is expected to yield a vendor selection by end of week, and he clarified that a recent resident letter about lead service lines was a regulatory identification requirement, not an indication of contamination, with all seven identified lead lines in town testing non-detect.