Sen. Jack Reed enjoyed a busy tour of Barrington on Friday.

His trip included a check of the Mathewson Road seawall, a visit to the new Barrington Middle School construction site, and a stop at the senior center.

"There was chair yoga that I missed — I'm sorry," said Sen. Reed with a smile. "And belly dancing too."

The longtime lawmaker said his recent visit to Barrington was very helpful and informative.

"It's a remarkably well-run town with committed professionals and dedicated volunteers," Sen. Reed said of Barrington. "It really represents the best of Rhode Island."

Sen. Reed said he was very impressed by the nonprofit organization Tap-In (Touch A Person In Need). The all-volunteer program has served the less fortunate people of the East Bay for more than three decades. 

"It's a great, great testimonial to the town of Barrington, that you have volunteers — there's no paid person at all — that will give of themselves to make sure people can have some food and clothing," he said. "It was really good. We talked about the town's plans to modernize the facility, and make it more convenient. It was very inspiring."

Much of Sen. Reed's visit focused on some of the challenges facing coastal communities. After stopping by Police Cove Park, the senator joined Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha and other local officials on Mathewson Road. There he inspected sections of the seawall that the town has renovated. He also saw parts of the seawall that had not yet been repaired.

"Well, where improvements have been made, it's great, but it's kind of hit or miss," said Sen. Reed. "It's another example of the environmental threats to the infrastructure … They're doing a great job, the town is, to step by step fix the wall in order to protect the road and the utilities, and we're trying to think of ways we can be helpful from the federal level and to encourage the state to help too. These are problems that are common throughout the state, any place where there's water."

Sen. Reed's tour also made a stop at Barrington Beach and Latham Park, and continued to the new Barrington Middle School construction site. 

"I commend the people of Barrington who have committed their resources to building what looks to be a spectacular middle school," Sen. Reed said. "… They're going to build a facility that's state of the art and will enhance education, as well as be a safe environment for the students."

Following the tour, Sen. Reed shared lunch and conversation with a handful of Barrington officials — town council members Michael Carroll and Kate Weymouth, school committee members John Alessandro and Anna Clancy, school department director of finance and administration Doug Fiore, and Mr. Cunha. 

Sen. Reed said the topics of the "very useful" discussion ranged from school security measures, affordable housing challenges, and the future of the Zion Bible College property. 

"We're going to see if there's a way to be helpful, providing federal assistance. We're going to explore it," said Sen. Reed.