Barrington officials recently voted to move $67,800 in American Rescue Plan Act funding from one capital project to two other projects.

The money had been earmarked for improvements to the Barrington Public Safety Building and public library, but at its May 1 meeting, the Barrington Town Council voted unanimously to shift the funding toward the purchase of a new shade structure at Barrington Beach and to pay for a portion of the recreation center/field house feasibility study. 

Barrington received more than $4 million in ARPA funds. Much of the money has already been spent or allocated. In February, members of the Barrington Town Council approved spending $67,800 on the library and public safety building — work was planned for energy upgrades and dedicated to some previously deferred maintenance. Officials also planned to replace air handler units in the HVAC systems. 

On May 1, Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey asked the Council to approve the reallocation of the funds — he said more money was needed for the recreation center/field house feasibility study and for the beach shade structure. Hervey said that spending more on the feasibility study could end up saving the town money in the long run. 

Initially, $40,000 had been earmarked for the study, but Hervey asked the Council to double that amount. They agreed, and voted 5-0 to shift the funds.

The remaining $27,800 pulled from the public safety building and library will go toward a new shade structure at Barrington Beach, bumping up the total expenditure to $40,651. The shade structure is going to be 16 feet by 32 feet and will be located adjacent to the bath house at the beach. 

Barrington Recreation Department Director Michele Geremia spoke about the shade structure during the May 1 meeting. She said the shade structure will be easy to put up and take down and will be able to withstand 90-mile-per-hour winds. 

“It is by far the easiest system,” Geremia said. 

The design is made of steel and set in reinforced concrete. 

The town received two bids for the shade structure: Probuilt Designs LLC bid the project at $24,540, while M.E. O’Brien and Sons bid it at $40,651.

“The Town reviewed the proposals for consistency with design criteria,” Hervey wrote in a memo to the Council. “…the Town has determined the shade structure proposed by O’Brien and Sons meets the specifications.”

The shade structure will be installed on the grass field in front of the bath house. The Council voted 5-0 to approve the shade structure by M.E. O’Brien and Sons and included a 5 percent contingency for the project. 

Hervey said the town will use alternative funding sources — the Capital Improvement Program and some grants —to complete the planned work at the public safety building and library.

Field studies approved

The town is moving ahead with two studies related to athletic fields and facilities in Barrington.

The Barrington Town Council voted unanimously to award one bid to a Utah-based firm to complete a field house feasibility study, and another bid to a Providence company to conduct an athletic fields condition and needs analysis. The two bids will cost a combined $149,700.

The Council approved a $69,750 bid to Traverse of Providence, to provide a thorough and detailed evaluation of Barrington’s athletic fields and areas where the town could improve its facilities. Funding for this study will come from the town’s Field Maintenance Fund, which had a balance of $410,616.

The Council also approved a $79,950 bid to Victus Advisors of Park City, Utah to “evaluate the need, demand, economics, and site, and building options for a new recreation center/field house.” 

The studies are part of the town’s ongoing effort to improve athletic fields and recreational facilities. 

During the May 1 meeting, Councilors discussed the bids. Annelise Conway also questioned why there was such a significant amount of money in the Field Maintenance Fund. She asked why more field work was not being done with that money.

Hervey said officials are currently trying to identify the best uses for that money. He said the studies will help officials build a game plan for field improvements. 

Council member Rob Humm said the studies will help the community better understanding the best course of action — “We don’t know what we don’t know,” he said. 

Barrington Department of Public Works Director Alan Corvi said money from that fund periodically covers the cost of additional field work; he mentioned paying overtime for crews to work on fields on Saturdays occasionally. He added that the studies will provide an independent view of what Barrington needs to do with its recreational facilities.

“I still think the bigger problem is the lack of fields,” Corvi said.