To the editor:

Is it terribly insensitive of me to request that Barrington Beach access be for residents and guests only?  

We pay our property taxes, permits, and other fees for services to include a seasonal beach pass each year with the expectation that we should be able to access our once private town beach without consternation and challenge. Access to our coastal waterways is already limited, and for those of us that reside and pay taxes in Barrington, shouldn’t we be afforded some priority consideration for enjoying our own beach area?  

There are other options for non-residents outside of Barrington. I’m originally from New Jersey where the beaches stretch for hundreds of miles and where sand spans from the boardwalk to the ocean for hundreds of yards. This isn’t New Jersey, nor is it Narragansett, Easton or Scarborough Beach; our little old Rhode Island town beach is only the size of a postage stamp in comparison to other beaches and with narrow parking and limited access and egress.  

A recent visit to the beach on the weekend proved to be an unfortunate and characteristic experience. The parking lot was overflowing with various sized vehicles maneuvering, competing, struggling and contending for access, egress, parking, and basic survival. Many of the license plates were observed to be of Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. There were plenty of Rhode Island license plated vehicles, such as ours, that were challenged if not entirely restricted from getting into a parking space.  

Keep in mind, many Barrington residents that would like to access our Barrington Beach have disabilities. If one is able to survive the battle of just gaining access to the beach, the next challenge is in finding a spot on the beach to land a modest beach towel in the midst of people that assemble in mass with their oversized beach umbrellas, canopies, and cabanas.  

You finally settle into a spot 15 feet from the water’s edge and a family of 10 shows up and squats directly in front of you with their oversized cabana and all accessories. “C’mon man”! What’s next portable hard wood lumber beach kits, or perhaps modular dwellings? Did I mention that no one was on the gate? There was no payment for access and the bathrooms were inaccessible and padlocked; guess where people were going “to the bathroom” without access to the bathroom? Yep; there are actually other things now in the water that scare me more than sharks.  

This isn’t a rare scene at Barrington Beach and certainly not behavior that is reserved for the weekends or holidays alone.  

We’ve reached a point where it’s not even desirable to go to our own town beach any more. The days of pulling up a chair and reading a nice book or taking a safe stroll on our beach are gone. 

Why does this have to be the case?  

I know surely it can’t possibly be the revenue profits earned that somehow are a necessary supplement to our exorbitant property taxes. For those of us that live in this town and pay our fair share of things, please return our once private town beach back to the Barrington taxpayer community. From the “let’s make a deal” style contracts to decisions that impact our local parks and fields, our local community seems to be increasingly marginalized in the decisions impacting our quality of life.  

It’s time for our town leaders to focus less on politics and personal resume’ building and more on the citizens of our Barrington community.   

Thank you.  

Fran Callaghan

Barrington