The club is owned by the town of Hingham, Mass. In August 2022, the Hingham Planning Board approved the project after voters passed a ballot issue increasing property taxes to pay for the construction of a pool, bathhouse and splash pad. In September 2022, a handful of neighbors sued the Hingham Planning Board in Massachusetts Land Court. The case was put on “fast track” status, and a hearing is scheduled for March 31. Town Administrator Thomas Mayo confirmed the lawsuit means construction can’t start on the project.

A new community pool at the town-owned South Shore Country Club in Hingham, Mass. won’t open this summer as originally planned because of a lawsuit filed by three couples who live near the property, the Boston Globe reported.

Hingham has had a public pool since it bought the country club in 1988, but it closed in 2019 for safety reasons.

Hingham voters overwhelmingly approved exceeding borrowing limits to pay for the $8 million project to replace the old pool with a complex that includes a “zero-entry” pool that is handicapped accessible, a pool with lap lanes, a bathhouse, and a splash pad for babies, the Boston Globe reported.

In April 2022, residents at a town meeting voted 317 to 95 in favor of the borrowing, and a May 2022 ballot question passed 2,525 to 857, the Boston Globe reported. Officials said the average homeowner would pay an extra $46 a year in property taxes as a result.

In September 2022, a handful of neighbors sued the Hingham Planning Board — which approved the project the previous month — in Massachusetts Land Court. The case was put on “fast track” status, and a hearing is scheduled for March 31.

The online court synopsis of the suit says the plaintiffs claim the project encroaches on an easement and they “have raised issues around rights in a paper street abutting” their properties, the Boston Globe reported.

Town Administrator Thomas Mayo confirmed that the lawsuit means construction can’t start on the project and is likely to affect the cost, the Boston Globe reported.

“The town will have a better ability to evaluate a bid and construction schedule, as well as the cost of the pool project, once the litigation concludes,” he said.

The plaintiffs — Barry and Heidi Invernizzi, Brendan and Amanda Galgay, and Christopher and Stephanie Jones — live adjacent to the South Shore Country Club, which dates back to the 1920s, the Boston Globe reported. The town-owned recreation area also has an 18-hole golf course, bowling alley, driving range, tennis court, restaurant, golf pro shop, and banquet space.