A 10-year veteran of the town's park and recreation commission said he is disappointed the town council decided not to reappoint him to the commission.

Anthony Arico sat before the council for an interview during the Jan. 9 meeting, and was joined by two other residents — Tom Rimoshytus and Geoff Turner. All three men shared reasons as to why they believed they were good fits for the commission.

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After listening to all three applicants, the council voted to appoint Mr. Rimoshytus as a full member and Mr. Turner as an alternate.

That left Mr. Arico on the outside looking in.

"Of course I'm disappointed," said Mr. Arico during a followup interview. 

The longtime resident said he is proud of the work he did for the commission, especially the improvements made to the town beach and bathhouse.

Following the appointments, council president Michael Carroll made a special point to praise Mr. Arico and the work he had done while serving on the park and recreation commission. In a follow-up email, Mr. Carroll again credited Mr. Arico for his service to the town.

"We are very grateful for Anthony Arico’s service since 2008, and he has been an especially strong advocate for the town beach," Mr. Carroll wrote. 

He added: "I felt it was important to give other people in town an opportunity to serve and we had a need for members with their background."

Mr. Rimoshytus, a member of the Barrington Booster Club, has been active in Barrington youth athletics for many years. He also played a key role in renovating the ice skating rink at Legion Way. Mr. Turner is relatively new to town, but has been active with Little League.

Mr. Carroll said he was confident the new appointees will be able to help the commission as it deals with a likely reduction in athletic field space once the middle school construction project begins.

"… our Parks and Recreation Commission will be called on to come up with some creative solutions to meet all of the needs of our youth sports. I am confident they will rise to this challenge," he said. 

Council member Steven Boyajian made the motions to appoint Mr. Rimoshytus and Mr. Turner to the commission. Both motions passed by 5-0 votes.

"It should go without saying, Anthony’s long history of volunteerism in town is commendable and the whole town owes him a debt of gratitude for his dedication of time," Mr. Boyajian wrote in an email. 

"I supported Geoff’s and TR’s appointments primarily based upon their experience as youth sports coaches. Under normal circumstances I’m not sure I would have put so much emphasis on that fact in my consideration, as there are priorities other than youth sports that need constant attention by the PRC. However, with the middle school fields likely coming offline this fall I thought that Geoff’s and TR’s perspective and experience would be critical. I was especially impressed that Geoff, being a relative newcomer to town and local boards, flagged that very issue in his interview.

"I’m hoping that the PRC can develop a workable plan to limit disruption to youth sports, and doing so is going to require close coordination and cooperation between the town and local leagues. Given that, Geoff and TR seems to be the right fit for the openings."

Ed McKinlay, a longtime resident and recent member of the park and recreation commission, agreed with the council's decision to appoint Mr. Turner and Mr. Rimoshytus.

"Yes, I think it's a good move," said Mr. McKinlay, who recently resigned from the commission after 15 years of service. "I think the council is right in getting some new blood."

Is one alternate enough?

Mr. Arico said the council would be wise to create a second alternate position for the park and recreation commission. Currently the commission has seven full-time members and one alternate. 

"You check the minutes and you'll see at least two people absent on a regular basis," said Mr. Arico. "I feel strongly that there has to be a second alternate."

Mr. McKinlay did not agree with Mr. Arico's assertion that a second alternate was needed.

"One alternate is enough," he said.

Mr. Carroll said the council had "no plans to add an additional alternate."