Letter: Lonely park no more!

Posted 3/4/19

To the editor: 

(In response to last week’s editorial, The Lonely Park.)

If ever we were to contemplate the need for a splash pad in Police Cove Park, the title of last week’s …

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Letter: Lonely park no more!

Posted

To the editor: 

(In response to last week’s editorial, The Lonely Park.)

If ever we were to contemplate the need for a splash pad in Police Cove Park, the title of last week’s editorial, The Lonely Park, lays that question to rest.

Barrington is a community rich in amenities. Among the extras are playgrounds, parks, memorial gardens, a bike path, boat launching sites, sports fields, a community center, a senior center, and a well-maintained beach. Although the Town continues to strive to provide a balance of such enhancements for all its residents, the continued influx of parents with small children is particular to Barrington and their interests should be emphasized. The editorial suggested other enhancements targeting teens through seniors. Why toddler and pre-teen considerations were ignored is perplexing. 

A further point of controversy was this editorial’s pronouncement that the project was “an odd waste of money” begging the question, “by whose account?” It’s important to note that of the approximate $138,000 to install the splash pad, about half of that money will be covered by a grant from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), thus further reinforcing the value of this innovative endeavor.

As with any improvement or enhancement, it must first be met with approval from the Town Council and ultimately by the residents. In both instances, the proposal to include a splash pad to the already renovated Police Cove Park got a thumbs up. Not only was this project approved, but the East Bay Newspaper’s own Facebook page substantiates overwhelming support, clearly indicating that the people want it! Based on these posts and contrary to the objections in the editorial, parents apparently don’t see any difficulty in driving their swimwear clad children across town to cool off in a fountain regardless of RIPTA’S close proximity to the park. 

Can the Town Council, the Barrington residents and the DEM all be misguided in their assessment to undertake this venture? 

Team Splash Pad!

Alyssa Collins
Barrington

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.