A Silver Lake Regional High School student appealed to the Kingston Board of Selectmen on Oct. 21 for urgent safety improvements at the intersection of Pembroke Street, Lake Street, and Station Street—just four days after a serious motor vehicle crash at the same location sent seven patients to the hospital. The student detailed a troubling history of accidents, malfunctioning pedestrian crossing signals, and ongoing dangers for students walking to school and nearby businesses.
Will, a Silver Lake student, appeared before the Board of Selectmen during the public comment period to bring attention to what he called an “ongoing safety concern” at the busy intersection adjacent to the regional high school. His appeal came just four days after the Friday, Oct.17 motor vehicle accident that resulted in seven patients requiring full transport for treatment—the latest in what he described as a long series of incidents that have plagued the location.
“Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time there have been other car accidents at this location,” Will told the board. “And a few years ago, a student was struck in the same area.” The student went on to detail recurring problems with the pedestrian crossing lights in front of Silver Lake Regional High School, explaining that the signals sometimes stay illuminated continuously throughout the school day while at other times they fail to activate at all when students press the button to cross. Will also referenced a historical incident involving an empty Silver Lake school bus that crashed in the same area, underscoring the intersection’s longstanding safety problems.
“One of the buttons is faulty now,” Will explained, noting that the crossing signals near the SlackTide and Happy Jan’s businesses don’t activate properly. The malfunctioning equipment creates dangerous conditions for students crossing to and from school, as well as for those visiting nearby businesses like the ice cream shop.
The student’s concerns resonated with board members, who acknowledged the intersection has been a known problem area. Board Chair Eric Crone outlined several safety improvements the town has already implemented at the location, though he admitted the situation remains challenging. “That intersection was also identified in our safety report for potentially even making a roundabout there at some point, but that’s a many years long process and waiting for state and federal funding,” Crone said.
Among the improvements already made, Crone listed new signage and improved lane painting on Lake Street and Station Street, warning signs approaching from both directions on Route 27/Pembroke Street, school zone signs with flashing lights on Pembroke Street, and enhanced stop signs on Lake Street and Station Street that now include flashing elements. The upgraded stop signs were specifically installed after motorists repeatedly failed to stop at the intersection, with multiple crashes resulting in vehicles striking the ice cream shop and restaurant buildings at the corner—incidents Crone said have “happened quite a bit.”
Board Vice Chair Kim Emberg emphasized that installing a full traffic light at the intersection isn’t as simple as it might seem. “We can’t just put in a light, a traffic light. That actually is much more complicated than you would think,” Emberg explained. “So the rotary is the best, safest solution. The problem is, is those things take time and money.”
Emberg described the town’s strategy as implementing “as many temporary, short-term, cost-effective solutions that we can to make that area as safe as possible” while working toward longer-term infrastructure improvements. She also pointed Will to the “report a concern” link on the town’s homepage, which allows residents to notify the highway department directly about issues like malfunctioning crossing signals.
The board conducted a comprehensive safety study of the entire town that prioritized projects across Kingston, with the Pembroke-Lake-Station intersection making the list alongside Main Street improvements. However, funding and regulatory requirements mean significant changes like a rotary could take years to materialize.
Will asked the board to consider additional measures, specifically requesting that they work with the regional school committee to station a crossing guard at the intersection. “I think that might be helpful to keep all our kids safe as well,” he said. Crone indicated such a request would need to go through the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, as the school crossing guard program falls under their jurisdiction rather than the town’s.
The student’s appeal highlighted the personal stakes involved in the safety issue. “I just wanted to make sure all our students, all the Silver Lake students, including myself, when going to get ice cream, are safe,” Will said. “And I didn’t want to take the chance of anybody else getting hurt at that street.”
In other business, the Kingston Board of Selectmen voted 3-1-1 to authorize Police Chief Brian Holmes to promote an additional full-time sergeant effective Jan.1, 2026, to supervise the development and implementation of a new Family Services Unit that will serve Kingston, Plympton, and Halifax. The initiative represents a significant expansion of mental health and social services support within the police department, with Chief Holmes describing it as something that “will have a meaningful impact on not just Kingston, but three communities, if all goes as planned.”
Chief Holmes explained that the department has been working with a group funded by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health that provides free facilitation services to police agencies establishing clinician programs. The facilitators, who are licensed mental health clinicians with experience at the Framingham Police Department, will help Kingston develop a job description, select the right candidate—either a licensed mental health clinician or a certified licensed social worker—and conduct integration training for patrol staff who will work alongside the new position. The Family Services Unit will be physically housed in Kingston but will provide services to residents of all three communities. Next steps include seeking approval from the Capital Planning Committee for approximately $60,000 in office space, with funding potentially coming from opiate settlement funds. Chief Holmes indicated he plans to solicit Halifax and Plympton for financial contributions through their opiate settlement funds, though he acknowledged both communities face fiscal constraints.
The sergeant position will be funded by reallocating resources from an existing open patrolman vacancy, made possible in part by a retirement notice Chief Holmes received. The funding covers the half-year period from Jan. through June 30, 2026. Board member Carl Pike voted in favor while noting that his support for foregoing the patrolman position now does not necessarily mean he will support requesting a replacement patrolman in next year’s budget. Vice Chair Kim Emberg voted against the measure, stating she could not support creating new positions given current fiscal constraints, while board member Missy Bateman abstained. Board members acknowledged that Chief Holmes, brought to Kingston as “an agent of change,” has the discretion to allocate his department’s budget as he sees fit, though any request to restore the patrolman position would be subject to future budget discussions.