Kingston Water Commission Advances Sewer Expansion Plan, Flags Staffing Crisis

Water · Meeting of January 6, 2026

Kingston Water Commission eyes 13,000-foot sewer expansion and flags staffing emergency at January 6 meeting. The commission, attended by Elaine Diore, Bill Watson, and Donohue, heard from the superintendent that two employees remain out of work due to injuries and that an HR request for a new operator and office helper has gone unanswered, leaving staff working seven-day weeks with no relief. A proposed sewer expansion covering Main Street, five pump stations, 13,000 feet of gravity sewer, 4,000 linear feet of pressure main, and the unsewered Marion Drive industrial corridor is being designed with CDM and could reach a Town Meeting construction vote in spring 2027; the department wants on the state revolving fund priority list this year.

A roughly $2,200 basket-screen device was ordered to catch flushable wipes before they damage pumps at the Riverside Drive station. The superintendent also told commissioners that Chris Marakaran raised a union-input concern about the MOU signed December 31, warning it may cause delays because the document's disciplinary-review language references the collective bargaining agreement without union involvement.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 984 words

Source: the Water meeting of January 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.