Barrington neighbors say ‘No’ to proposed stop signs

Council agrees, denies three stop signs in Fireside Drive neighborhood

By Josh Bickford
Posted 1/22/25

Two proposed ordinances to install a total of three stop signs in a Hampden Meadows neighborhood fell short of garnering any Barrington Town Council support.  

The proposed stop signs …

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Barrington neighbors say ‘No’ to proposed stop signs

Council agrees, denies three stop signs in Fireside Drive neighborhood

Posted

Two proposed ordinances to install a total of three stop signs in a Hampden Meadows neighborhood fell short of garnering any Barrington Town Council support. 

The proposed stop signs — two were proposed at the intersection of Fireside Drive and Old Chimney Road, and one was proposed at the intersection of Copper Kettle Lane and Old Chimney — faced push-back coming from all directions during the council meeting on Monday night, Jan. 13.

Members of the council questioned the need for stop signs and the piecemeal process used for determining which intersections receive stop signs and which ones do not. Meanwhile, folks living in the Old Chimney Road and Fireside Drive neighborhood offered multiple reasons why they did not want the stop signs. 

“I just do not think that this is necessary,” said longtime resident and former town solicitor James Jackson. “I do not like to see the town do something that is not necessary.”

Many residents who live in that neighborhood point to the fact that there have not been any accidents at that intersection. 

Only one person spoke in favor of the ordinance during the council meeting — Scott Lopes, who initially suggested that the intersection needed stop signs. 

Lopes said he had noticed “a lot of close calls” at the intersection near his home. He said he read the report drafted by Pare Engineering, under the direction of the town, and agreed with the findings. 

Pare’s report, which reportedly cost taxpayers $3,100, stopped short of recommending the proposed stop signs. It stated that the sight distance needed to be extended for the intersection of Fireside Drive and Old Chimney Road, and that no stop sign was needed for the intersection of Old Chimney Road and Copper Kettle. 

Council member Kate Berard opened her comments with a question about process — Berard said she wanted to discuss the idea of clearing sight lines for all intersections in town. She said Barrington did not appear to have a clear method or process. Berard added that the intersections in the Fireside Drive neighborhood look very similar to other intersections across town. 

Berard later said she preferred to trim back vegetation crowding the Fireside intersections before installing any stop signs. 

Councilor Jordan Jancosek echoed Berard’s comments and also asked about the Rumstick Road and Nayatt Road intersection. She said vehicles have to stop and then edge forward, because they cannot see oncoming traffic at the stop sign. Jancosek also asked Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia if the department had checked the Old Chimney Road intersections. Chief Correia said he had personally visited the neighborhood. 

Liana Cassar shared similar concerns about the process being used to potentially installed stop signs. She said there are numerous intersections in her part of town that have difficult sight lines. 

Public push-back

About a half-dozen residents — almost all of them live in the Old Chimney Road area — spoke out against the proposed stop signs. Anthony Bucci was first. 

The longtime property owner distributed copies of a petition signed by residents who opposed the stop signs. He also shared some background on the situation and then pointed out alleged problems with the Pare Engineering report. For starters, Bucci said the report based its decisions on the speed limit on the involved roads and not the actual vehicle speeds witnessed or recorded in that neighborhood. 

Bucci said most vehicles travel no more than 10 to 15 miles per hour in that area. 

As Bucci began sharing more comments, Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey interrupted to inform him that his allotted three minutes to speak had just expired. 

Bucci countered, asking if he could use time his wife would have used. Council president Braxton Cloutier told Bucci that he would be afforded a second opportunity to speak once everyone else had shared their initial comments. 

Next up was James Jackson. The longtime resident and former town solicitor (attorney for the town) said he lives on Fireside Drive and found the idea of installing stop signs there as completely unnecessary. He spoke about the configuration of Fireside Drive and how the layout of the road helps to naturally slow drivers. Jackson said he has observed the intersection countless times.

His presentation was also cut short by Hervey’s announcement that Jackson’s time was up. 

Gail Moodie wasted little time sharing her opinion. The Fireside Drive resident told council members that the intersection was not a problem. She then asked how much money the town spent on the study. A person in the audience shared “$3,100.”

Chris Ivanoski, who lives on Old Chimney Road, approached the microphone with one of his four children. He said he opposed the stop signs. He also said the Pare Engineering report was inaccurate. Ivanoski said he measured some of the sections of roads cited in the report and came up with different measurements. 

Ivanoski, like some members of the council, also questioned the process. He identified more than a dozen other neighborhoods in Barrington that had similar intersections to that of Old Chimney Road and Fireside Drive and Copper Kettle Lane and also did not have sidewalks. Ivanoski asked if the town was going to put up stop signs in those neighborhoods also. 

After Lopes shared his reasons for filing the initial complaint about the intersections, Copper Kettle Lane resident Nick Angers spoke. He said he opposed the stop signs and was concerned about the piecemeal approach. He said he supported clearing the sight lines instead. 

Gianna Bucci, Anthony’s daughter, said people drive very cautiously in her neighborhood. She said she never experienced a close call or anything like that while growing up on Fireside Drive. 

Janine Wolf lives on Atlantic Crossing but she agreed with folks living in the Fireside Drive neighborhood who opposed the stop signs. She said the town needs to do a better job trimming back around any stop signs impacted by vegetation.

Then it was Bucci and Jackson taking a second turn at the microphone. Jackson said the Pare Engineering report left open the option of clearing the lines of sight. Bucci said the town needs to use its building inspector to check intersections that may have obstructions. He pointed to the corner of Lincoln Avenue and County Road. 

A moment later, members of the council voted 5-0 to reject both ordinances. 

Privately owned

After voting to reject the proposed stop signs, councilors focused their attention on the process of reviewing sight lines around town. 

Jancosek wanted to direct town administration to review sight lines at problem intersections. Hervey cautioned that there are “many, many, many intersections” that could fall into that category. He asked if they could limit the sight line work to the Fireside Drive intersections. 

Jancosek made a motion and later amended it to include the Fireside Drive intersections and the one at Nayatt and Rumstick roads. Cloutier added Sowams Road at Linden to the list. He also seconded the motion. 

Cassar said she could come up with a list of other intersections, if given some additional time. 

Berard said she wanted the town to formalize the process. 

Before the motion went to a vote, Alan Corvi approached the microphone. The director of the Barrington Department of Public Works offered some additional information about the topic — he said a lot of the property where problem intersections are located is privately owned. Corvi said the town could face push-back from those property owners when they try to cut back trees and bushes. 

I’d love to clear them, open them up, but the property owners don’t agree, Corvi said. He added that finding property lines at intersections can be challenging. 

Corvi later asked council members for their support in the effort — he said the DPW can do anything as long as they have the support of the council. 

A moment later, the council voted 5-0 to support Jancosek’s motion. 

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