KINGSTON — Oct. 13, 2026 — The Kingston Board of Selectmen last Tuesday recommended that the Oct. 27 Special Town Meeting approve a zoning ban on data centers and a $2.5 million cellular water meter project, but declined to take a position on two citizen petitions related to the Miramar sewer agreement.
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The board’s votes on the Special Town Meeting warrant are recommendations; Town Meeting makes the final decisions.
Article 14 asks Town Meeting to amend the zoning bylaw to define data centers and list them as a prohibited use. The board recommended approval on a divided vote 4-1 with Carl Pike opposed. Article 13 proposes zoning rules for battery energy storage systems, including where they may be allowed, which was recommended unanimously.
Article 9 seeks $2.5 million, through borrowing, to buy and install cellular-based water meters. Members were told the meters are part of an administrative consent order from DEP and would help with leak detection. Ratepayers would cover the cost, though a board member noted the town is the backstop if they cannot. That recommendation also came on a divided 4-1 vote with Joe Cunningham opposed.
The board also recommended Soules Pond electrical repairs, a new well and pump station, $24,825 for ambulance ultrasound equipment, and first-year funding of the firefighters’ and superior officers’ contracts. Articles 4, 6 and 7 were skipped for now because agreements or numbers are not final, and Article 8, wage and personnel bylaw changes, was held.
The board took no position on Articles 15 and 16. Chair Kim Emberg said the board has historically not voted on citizen petitions so it does not steer the debate, and members who spoke favored keeping that precedent. During open forum, the lead petitioner, Daniel Zotos, said the petitions drew 400 signatures and urged favorable recommendations, calling the agreement a sweetheart deal for the developers.
Marsha Meekins, who filed the open meeting law complaint Oct. 5, told the board it alleges the selectmen failed to list the Miramar agreement on their May 5 agenda, approved it at a May 7 meeting she said violated posting requirements, and never made the agreement public. She argued the board must meet to review a complaint before delegating its response, and asked for counsel unaffiliated with town counsel, which she said took part in the events at issue.
No meeting was held between October 5th and tonight at which this public body reviewed the complaint.
— Marsha Meekins 25:57
The agenda proposed delegating the response to town counsel. Chair Emberg said members had received the complaint within the required period and asked whether to bring in independent counsel. Sheila Vaughn asked the cost, saying she did not want to spend $30,000. Town Administrator Scott Lambiase said the review would not be a heavy lift, offered to get prices and noted the board could seek an extension. Emberg said town counsel could handle it objectively but would support outside counsel; Cunningham said an independent source would probably be good but did not want added cost. Emberg said the legal budget includes money for outside counsel. A motion to delegate the response to outside counsel was made and seconded, and members voted unanimously.
