BARRINGTON — Grassroots run deep in Barrington.

Over the last few years, regular residents with limited experience in infrastructure projects have taken it upon themselves to complete significant recreational improvements in town. They gain clearance from town officials, coordinate volunteer assistance from widely-varying groups, and follow projects through until completion.

About three years ago the volunteer effort showed dividends as residents rolled through Veterans Park behind the Bayside Family YMCA, clearing out overgrown paths and picnic sites and removing hundreds of pounds of rubbish. They built new benches and installed numerous grills.

Then a different group of hard-driven volunteers developed a new practice field for youth football and lacrosse leagues off Sowams Road. The town had received an expensive quote for the work and officials all but abandoned the project, but the volunteers completed the work at a fraction of the cost.

This month a volunteer team led by a firefighter, a naval architect and a former rugby coach spearheaded an effort to renovate the Legion Way ice rink. The group’s work is aimed at turning the once-forgotten rink into a centerpiece for wintertime family fun in Barrington.

“What I see is the citizens are seeing a need for things out there whether it be at the parks or whatever ... but there is not a lot of money,” said Barrington Town Council member John Lazzaro. “It tells me that if everyone wants to work together we can have unbelievable things for our young people, and for older people too.”

Mr. Lazzaro has acted as an unofficial conduit between volunteers and town leadership on most of these grassroots efforts. He brought the ice rink idea to Barrington Town Manager Peter DeAngelis, who helped facilitate the work in his official capacity and with some volunteer labor. “I didn’t do much,” Mr. DeAngelis said, deflecting credit to the volunteers. “I was there lending support.”

Mr. Lazzaro said Mr. DeAngelis’s assistance is key.

“Peter takes a lot of baloney but he does a great job for this town,” Mr. Lazzaro said.

Like most of these projects, the work at the ice rink was initiated and continues to be driven by residents. A group including T.R. Rimoshytus, Dave Bonney and Bob Hoder among others had been talking about making some improvements at the Legion Way ice rink. Last winter the rink was a popular skating area; Barrington Recreation Department Director John Taylor helped organize a popular skating party with music and a hot dog roast.

Whenever weather allowed, residents frequented the rink, but its condition needed attention. The surface was uneven and every so often someone would drive their car out onto the ice.

“Our biggest thing is to make a guardrail so kids can’t drive on it,” said Dave Bonney. “Every year it happens... The problem is that it’s too deep. You can crack it.”

Mr. Bonney, Mr. Rimoshytus and a few other residents formed the group “Friends of Legion Way Rink.” Two weeks ago the group and some other volunteers, including local contractors, went to the rink, cleaned up the area and started installing huge timbers as guardrail.

“Turns out the old bridge is finally good for something,” joked Mr. Bonney.

The timbers are mammoth and were used as guardrail along the temporary bridge that spanned the Barrington River; the bridge project was often criticized for running past deadline and over-budget. The timbers came to the ice rink courtesy of Mr. DeAngelis and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. Workers from the Barrington Department of Public Works delivered the lengths to the site and teams of volunteers moved the timbers into place.

“This was a community effort,” Mr. DeAngelis said. “We have the materials virtually cost-free, there’s the partnership with the DPW, compounded tremendously with the volunteer effort. These groups recognize the town can’t do everything.”

John Lazzaro said the timbers are only part of the improvements taking place at the ice rink. There are also plans to relocate large boulders from the Sweetbriar housing development property to the rink, and students at the high school are working with teacher Dennis Perry to construct some picnic tables for the site.

Meanwhile, the Friends of Legion Way Rink recently submitted a grant application to CVS Charities. There are hopes some grant money will allow the volunteers to make even more upgrades to the rink.

“The big picture is to re-pave [the rink] and paint it a lighter color,” Mr. Bonney said. “It will still be a cold weather rink, but we’d like to try to maintain it a little better.

“Eventually we were thinking it could be used as a skate park in the off-season.”

The volunteer group is hoping that CVS officials acknowledge prior use of the site as a storage area before, during and after the annual CVS Charity Classic golf tournaments.

At the April 2009 town council meeting, Chris Davis, operations manager for the CVS Charity Classic, spoke with board members. At that meeting, Mr. Lazzaro said he had met with Mr. Davis to discuss the condition of the skating rink and damages done to it.

According to the meeting minutes, “CVS will at the conclusion of the tournament, provide additional funds to bring the rink to a better condition than they found it.”

Mr. Rimoshytus said Monday morning that CVS officials said funding for the Friends of Legion Way Rink would not be considered during this year’s round of grants because the group had not received non-profit status yet from the federal government.