Neighbors, youth sports league representatives and town officials met last week to review the latest plan to reconfigure and redevelop some athletic fields at Haines Park.

The meeting, held at the senior center on Thursday night, Sept. 8, drew a large crowd. Some people attending the meeting were residents who live near the park; some people were representing the Haines Park dog park; and some were speaking on behalf of the different youth sports leagues in Barrington. 

Town officials and members of the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission stood at one end of the room and shared details about the plan which focuses on the space toward the western end of Haines — the town is hoping to shift the small baseball diamond farther to the south (closer to the softball field), making room for a larger multi-use athletic field. Officials are also calling for some improvements to the softball field: a scoreboard, roofs for the dugouts, and a concession stand/storage shed. A well would also be dug to provide for irrigation of the fields. 

The latest draft of the plan, shared by landscape architect Kevin Alverson, also called for a fence to be installed along the edge of Haines Park Road. The eight-foot fence would block errant lacrosse or soccer balls from striking passing cars, and also serve to prevent children from running into the street, town officials said. 

But people who live near the park spoke out against the proposed fence, and they also asked how the project would impact the wildlife living in the park.

Liana Cassar lives near Haines Park and walks her dogs daily there. The District 66 representative spoke during the meeting, asking if an environmental impact study had been completed. She spoke about the wildlife corridor along Annawamscutt Brook, which runs through the center of the park.

Alverson said the project would need to follow all necessary Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management regulations. He said he has discussed the work with the DEM planning office, adding that there have not been any “red flags.”

Following the meeting, Cassar shared more of her thoughts about the proposed project.

“I have a better understanding to where we are in the process and what got us to this stage in the game,” she said. “There are three concerns I have. The first is habitat. There is a lot of wildlife. As the area around the brook has grown and evolved, some through the increased water, some through the decreased water, a lot of species have returned to the area … to the Audubon corridor that surrounds the brook. We have a big range — coyotes, turtles. We have bird species coming, and pollinators. And so I’m really concerned moving anything around the brook within 50 to 100 feet from the brook really does change habitat. We just have to be realistic about that. Development changes habitat. Period.”

Cassar also questioned whether it was the best idea to locate the multi-use field closest to Haines Park Road.

“This is truly my first time looking at this plan, so I can’t say but I think I understand that the fence is, it really impacts quality of life. I think we can come up with a solution. There are a lot of great natural barriers that can keep kids safe, but I do think there’s a barrier needed there because … kids dart in and out of cars. Parents come by to pick up their kids and they don’t often see the whole picture that this is a busy road. People don’t use the parking lots as well as they should,” she said.

Soccer or lacrosse

The new larger multi-use athletic field is likely to host soccer and lacrosse games, said officials. But a representative from East Bay Lacrosse said his league was content using other fields in town, and suggested that the new field would be a good fit for the Barrington Youth Soccer Association. 

Seth Fisher said the lacrosse league has been pleased with the St. Andrew’s Farm Field and the middle school fields. 

Fisher also addressed some of the residents who spoke out in opposition to the new field proposal. He said it was extremely frustrating to have to fight environmentalists every time youth sports leagues in Barrington want to improve the fields. 

Fisher also asked town officials to compile a document that details how much money the town has spent on purchasing and maintaining open space versus how much money is spent on acquiring space for athletic fields. He said he just wants things to be equitable. 

More forests, not fields

Janet Durfee-Hidalgo attended the Haines Park meeting and spoke about her concerns for the environment. 

She questioned the idea of presenting field plans and not discussing the potential impact on the wildlife habitat at Haines. Town officials have stated numerous times that the work would be contained to the existing field space at Haines and not veer into the wooded area. In fact, Alverson said the project could lead to water quality improvements for Annawamscutt Brook, as retention areas would likely be included in the plans, preventing storm-water run-off. 

But those comments seemed to miss their mark as numerous residents, including Durfee-Hidalgo, spoke out about the park wildlife.

Durfee-Hidalgo said she derives much pleasure from seeing the animals in the park. She said Barrington officials need to be committed to protecting the wildlife. During an interview after the meeting, Durfee-Hidalgo questioned why town officials are not spending more time talking about possible steps to address climate change.

“With the drought we’ve had this summer, and the increased temperatures, it’s just like how can we be talking about making sports fields when we should be talking about ‘OK, how can we use this land to contribute to improving the climate?’” Durfee-Hidalgo said.

When asked if she would prefer to see the town turn the athletic fields into forest, Durfee-Hidalgo said she would. 

“In fact, I would prefer …at the same time, providing resources in order that there’s management related to the forest …” she said. 

But what would she say to the sports leagues: “There are other opportunities, and other options available and they complain about some of the other sports fields that they want improvements … put the resources towards improving the existing sites.”

Durfee-Hidalgo said Haines Park holds a special significance to her.

“When I was learning to walk again, I could only walk out of the house. Then I could walk one block. My goal was to make it to Haines Park. And now I walk my dog there on a regular basis. In that way it was very personal to me,” she said. 

Fence issues

Brenda Santos spoke during the meeting. She asked about some parking that was proposed along the side of Haines Park Road, adding that the road was extremely tight when people park along it now. 

Santos also said the proposed fence along Haines Park Road was an issue for people who live in the area. She said the rest of the plan looked quite reasonable, but “the fence is hard to swallow… To me, that one is really hard to accept.”

Her comments drew a response from Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey, who attended the meeting. He agreed that the fence was an issue.

Following the meeting, Santos added: “I think that the people here took the concerns about the fence seriously. We’ll see in the next plan. I understand the need for a lacrosse field but it’s also a neighborhood park. It just doesn’t feel balanced with all of the other concerns.”

Santos said streets surrounding other parks in town have been designated “No Parking.”

“Around Chianese Field there are two parking lots and then there is a road where there is no parking on either side. And it is much wider and more walkable than Haines Park Road,” she said, adding, “I think the parking’s going to be a disaster.”

As for the overall fields plan, Santos was in favor of the work.

“It doesn’t bother me (redeveloping an athletic field) because the footprint hasn’t changed,” she said. “That’s the convincing part for me. If the footprint hasn’t changed and you can get more use out of that space, then I think that’s a smart choice, especially considering the other options in town. I’m happy to hear no lights. We came in thinking there may be lights.”

Sports leagues

Youth sports league representative Josh Glass spoke about the need for a fence along Haines Park Road. He said he has coached teams that use the Haines Park fields many times and said a fence is critical for preventing children from getting hit by cars. He said that without a fence, a child will get hit on that road, and is shocked that it hasn’t happened already. 

Barrington Park and Recreation Commission member TR Rimoshytus said it was possible to utilize temporary fencing at Haines Park — something that could be put up during games and practices and then removed during the off-hours. There was also some discussion about using natural buffers to serve as a fence-line.

Barrington Youth Soccer Association official Chuck Pointer shared his thoughts following the meeting.

“I think some of the changes from the meeting in June… some of the changes that took place with respect to the trees, and the environmental impact to the park is important,” he said. “And that’s something that needs to be respected and looked at for an optimal long-term solution for Barrington. Not a short term fix, that everyone in town is done with in five years. 

“It makes sense to make a good decision now for the betterment of the community, for the park, the environment, and the youth sports in town.”

The town council was expected to discuss Haines Park during its meeting on Monday night, Sept. 12.