The Kingston Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, May 23. Silver Lake Regional School Committee member Jason Fraser spoke to the Board regarding the intersection at Lake St. and Station St. Fraser said, “How many times have you felt like you were taking your life into your own hands crossing the intersection of Lake and Station on Rt. 27 right near Silver Lake High School and Middle School campus; I can tell you it sends butterflies through my own heart as an experienced driver.” He further said that a road safety audit was done on the intersection in May of 2021. “This audit kind of slipped right by the School Committee,” he explained saying that it was done during a stage in the Pandemic when the primary focus was getting students back to school five days a week. Fraser is currently heading up the Sub Committee responsible for looking into safety and facilities. Fraser told the Selectmen that Kingston, not the School Committee, has jurisdiction over the intersection and he asked them for their support in installing a traffic signal there.
Superintendent and Tree Warden Paul Basler said, “As everybody knows, municipal government comes down to funding; being the only one in the room that was involved in Rt. 27, we did this 15 years ago… DOT would not pay for funding for that light. If the town agrees, I would like to be the point person for the town for this project working with this gentleman, because if he has ways to get us funding that doesn’t include our taxes, I’m all for it.” Fraser said that he has already been looking into grant funding and has reached out to several legislators regarding the intersection. “The State grant that we’re looking at is the Shared Streets and Spaces grant,” Fraser said. The Selectmen voted to work with the Silver Lake Regional School Committee to work on improvements for the intersection.
National Public Works Recognition
Chair Kimberley Emberg said that in recognition of National Public Works Week, “we would like to recognize our employees in our Streets, Trees, and Parks, Water, and Wastewater Departments.” Selectman Tyler Bouchard also read a proclamation. He said, “For National Public Works Week 2023, to recognize the service provided in our community – are an integral part of our citizens’ everyday lives… and programs such as water, sewers, drains, streets, and highways, traffic control, public buildings, solid waste disposal, recycling, parks and forestry, and snow removal whereas the health and safety and comfort of the community greatly depend on the effectiveness of these facilities as well as their planning, design and construction are vitally dependent upon the efforts and skills of public works officials. And whereas the efficiency of the qualified and dedicated personnel who staff public work department is materially influenced by the people’s attitudes and understanding of the work they perform and therefore, be it resolved, the Kingston Board of Selectmen do hereby proclaim the week of May 21 through the 27 2023 as National Public Works Week… in the town of Kingston, Massachusetts.” Basler thanked the Selectmen and also announced that new transfers station stickers would begin being sold on June 1.
Library Update
Kingston Public Library Director Donald Colon appeared before the Board to provide an update on the status of the library. Colon said, “As of April 30, the library had met and exceeded our statistical transaction circulation; meaning that for the full fiscal 22, the library circulated over 91,000 physical items and as of April 30 we circulated 96,000 items so we were at 4.48 percent over last year for the entire year and I will also say that Kingston is only one of two libraries that were in the positive year to date and we were the best performing library in OCLN.” He continued, “What I can say about it is the library staff, the professional staff offering programs… the investment that we are making in the community with the services we are trying to offer really has been the focal point of all those increases and definitely it is something that we could not accomplish without the support of the foundation and the Friends of the Kingston Public Library.”
Appointments and Contract Amendments
The Board also took up the consideration of an amendment to the Assistant Town Administrator’s Contract. Town Administrator Keith Hickey told the Board that they finalized years 2 and 3 of the Assistant Town Administrator’s contract. Hickey said that the Assistant Town Administrator would be receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in June and because of that and some other things, he would like to see her salary increased. Selectman Sheila Vaughn told the Assistant Town Administrator that she should be very proud of her accomplishment. The Selectmen voted unanimously to amend her contract.
The Selectmen also voted to appoint Carl Ingemi as the new Wastewater Assistant Chief Operator. Emberg said they received a letter of interest to fill a vacancy on the Recycling Committee. The Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Vanessa Verkade.
Town Administrator’s Update
Hickey provided a Town Administrator’s update which he began by saying that the Senate had approved an FY 24 budget. Hickey also said that moving to a Microsoft Outlet government platform was now complete. “It will provide the ability to make responses to public records much less cumbersome than they have been in the past,” Hickey explained. He also told the Selectmen that nearly all schools and town buildings have been connected to the town fiber thanks to a grant. He said the expectation would be for the project to be complete by October. According to Hickey, the Grey’s Beach playground update project has hit a speedbump because of delayed parts. He said they expect the delay will be short. He also said that the town’s two charging stations at the Library and in front of the Animal Shelter are now operational. “I would urge anyone that has an electric vehicle that needs to be recharged to stop by,” Hickey said.
Hickey said that he spoke with PAC TV about doing a sort of live call-in television show where people could call in either on the phone or via Zoom to ask questions. “I’m not sure when that will start, but it will be something we’ll do maybe monthly in the evenings,” Hickey explained.