In a split vote, members of the Barrington Town Council voted to move forward with a plan to construct a new flagpole installation in front of Barrington Town Hall.

Council members Carl Kustell, Kate Berard and Rob Humm voted in favor of advancing a plan to erect three flagpoles near the southern entrance to the town hall property. The proposal will be sent to the State Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission for review, as it is required under the terms of a preservation easement on the Barrington Town Hall building and surrounding government center. The new flagpoles would fly the US flag and any outreach flags the Council deems appropriate. 

Councilors Annelise Conway and Braxton Cloutier voted against the motion. Conway voiced her opposition — she said she did not like either option offered by the town’s commissioned landscape architect, Kevin Alverson. The first option placed the new flagpole installation near the front door of the town hall, while the second had it closer to the intersection with Maple Avenue. 

Conway said she would prefer to have a soon-to-be-formed veterans committee make a suggestion about constructing new flagpoles, if they deem it necessary. She said the Town Council was looking for a solution to a problem that did not need to exist. 

Berard did not agree with Conway’s assessment of the situation. She viewed the creation of a new flagpole installation as an opportunity to build a meeting place, and at the same time move the community forward in a positive way.

The flagpole discussion goes back years in Barrington, when some community members responded to a decision to fly multiple flags, including a Black Lives Matter flag, on the flagpole located inside the veterans memorial next to the town hall. A group of veterans in town pushed back and asked the Council to remove any outreach flags from the pole in the memorial. More recently, every member of the Barrington United Veterans Council resigned in protest over the issue. 

During the Council meeting on Monday night, Sept. 9, Conway said the flagpole debate was not a divisive issue. She said if a group such as the DEI Committee called for a new flagpole installation then she would be in favor of it. 

Conway then said she spoke with her neighbor who told her “Don’t let the bigots get their way.” Conway said that was a direct quote from her neighbor. 

That comment upset some people at the Council meeting, including Lisa Daft and Janine Wolf. Wolf said she was pretty upset about the divisive language coming from some Council members. She said the bigot comment was uncalled for, inappropriate and unprofessional. Wolf said not a single member of the community had gone up to the microphone and said anything vulgar or vile. 

Conway later restated that she was quoting a neighbor. She said that comment was not her opinion, adding that there are a number of Barrington residents who feel strongly about the issue.

Rev. David Mehl, a retired pastor and current member of the town’s DEI Committee, spoke about the issue during the public comment period, reiterating some of the thoughts he shared during the July 22 Council meeting. 

Rev. Mehl said he supported the new flagpole installation plan — a multi-flag solution. 

Rev. Mehl said he officiated hundreds of funerals for veterans and has grown to appreciate the dignity and elegance of veterans ceremonies and places. 

Rev. Mehl said veterans formed an important subset of our community, adding that even when he believed a certain war was wrong, he still wanted to honor the veterans who fought in it. Rev. Mehl said he was in favor of highlighting the issue of underrepresented people in our community, and concluded by saying that he believes we can re-stitch the fabric of our community. 

Town officials spoke about the estimated cost of the new flagpole installations. Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey said the projects would range from $20,000 on the low end to as much as $120,000. The option placing the flagpoles closer to County Road had a price range of $23,000 to $65,000, depending on how much surrounding work was done with the installation. 

Kustell made a motion to move forward with the second option, which would locate the installation close to the intersection with Maple Avenue. Berard called for the town to authorize the expenditure of up to $70,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the work. The motion passed 3-2.