The Kingston Capital Planning Committee faced a steep climb in recreation costs Wednesday night as plans to rehabilitate the tennis and basketball courts at Grace Beach Park soared from an initial $50,000 estimate to a quarter-million-dollar project. The significant price jump reflects a shift from simple maintenance to a total overhaul of the facilities, which officials say have been neglected for nearly three decades.

A representative from the Recreation Department, a 27-year veteran of the town, explained that the original $50,000 figure was based on the hope of sealing and repaving the existing surfaces. However, after a year of further decay and a consultation with an engineer, the department determined the courts require full excavation. I've been with the town for 27 years and neither one of those courts have had any of that type of work done in that time frame, the representative told the committee, noting that the basketball court specifically is being compromised by a huge root system pushing through the asphalt. The project is currently seeking funding through the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), which has already deemed the work eligible under the Community Preservation Act.

Committee Chair Heath Richardson questioned the wisdom of such a heavy investment in the Oachinsky/Grace Beach area, citing long-standing concerns regarding the park’s dead end parking layout. Richardson expressed worry that a future solution to the parking bottleneck might require tearing up the very courts the town is now looking to fix. I become a little hesitant on the investment where if somebody in five years said we're ripping it up because we want to solve the parking issue, Richardson said. The Recreation Department countered that the nearby playground was recently renovated with state and federal grants that legally mandate its preservation, making any major layout changes unlikely.

The conversation highlighted the heavy usage of the facilities, with Richardson noting that the courts host approximately 800 hours of scheduled pickleball matches annually. Beyond the racket sports, the Recreation Department emphasized that the courts are a staple for summer programs and daily neighborhood use, though they currently lack ADA-accessible gates. We have to act on the court, too, because I'm concerned about rolling an ankle or injuries; there are significant cracks, the representative added.

Financial clarity remained elusive for other capital items, including a pending IT server replacement project. Town Administrator Scott Lambiase, who has been steering the town through a procedural reset since his arrival in January, reported that he is still waiting for detailed justifications from the town's IT consultant, MX. Richardson noted that server costs appeared to drop from $50,000 last year to $250,000 in current requests, leading to questions about the specific hardware being purchased for town buildings. Lambiase acknowledged the gap left by the retirement of the previous IT department head, stating, I used to have an IT department head; she retired and then we went with the consultant. He informed the committee that a meeting with the town’s finance team is scheduled for Thursday to further refine these figures.

The committee also discussed long-term reform for how town departments submit capital requests. Richardson expressed a desire to align town practices with existing bylaws, which technically require submissions by October 1—a deadline that has drifted to January in recent years. I've been wondering if we should potentially have a meeting in September or October where all the people submitting a request come in and bring their requests, Richardson suggested. Lambiase supported the idea of a general review of the five-year plan, particularly to allow the new Streets and Trees Superintendent to weigh in on future infrastructure needs.

The meeting concluded with the approval of past minutes. Member Chris [Last Name] jokingly noted a misspelling of a resident's name in the record, remarking, I'm offended. Clearly the sarcasm didn't come through. Members Wayne [Last Name] and Chris joined Richardson in a series of unanimous votes to finalize the administrative records. Motion Made by H. Richardson to accept the meeting minutes for the capital planning committee's January 14th, 2026 meeting and to allow edits before submission to the clerk's office. Motion Passed (3-0-0). Following that, the committee addressed the more recent records. Motion Made by H. Richardson to accept the minutes for the January 28th, 2026 meeting of the capital planning committee and to allow edits before submission to the clerk. Motion Passed (3-0-0).