About a year ago, former Barrington Town Council member Rob Humm presented an 18-point plan to improve the town’s athletic fields. 

The plan called for the installation of synthetic turf fields in town, the hiring of a dedicated field maintenance crew, improved playing surfaces for a number of the natural grass athletic fields, and more. 

One of Humm’s top priorities was the construction of synthetic turf fields in town, but in November voters rejected the two questions that would have allowed for the turf fields. Those questions were separate from the Barrington School Department’s current project to renovate the Victory Field athletic complex at Barrington High School. The schools are using money from a capital reserve account to install a synthetic turf multi-sport playing surface and a new track at Victory Field.

Municipal officials, meanwhile, continue to address other parts of the 18-point plan. 

The town has already completed the conversion of Bicknell Field into a softball field — it had been a Little League baseball diamond. Also, the Barrington Department of Public Works completed a drainage improvement project at Sherwood Field. 

During the Barrington Town Council meeting on Jan. 13 officials revisited the issue and discussed how the town should spend the remaining money from the $5 million recreation bond that was approved during the 2024 financial town meeting. 

Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey told council members that some of the bond money has already been earmarked for the Haines Park field renovation project — about $400,000 will supplement the $1 million already dedicated to the project.

Hervey said he met recently with some public works officials, a member of the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission, the recreation department director and the director of planning, and they discussed other projects that could benefit from the funding. 

Hervey later recommended that the council ask the park and recreation commission to prioritize a list of projects. 

New plan for Chianese

The town manager’s recent memo to the council offered a detailed look at a new plan to renovate Chianese Park. 

The plan, created by Pare Engineering, featured renovations to the athletic fields at Chianese, a new parking area located in the middle of the property and other enhancements. The project was expected to cost $2,476,500. 

Hervey told council members that the project at Chianese would require building up some of the playing surfaces, which are currently located atop capped landfills. Hervey said the new off-street parking would address some of the long-standing concerns of residents who live near the park.

Hervey also said officials at his recent meeting suggested new lights at the Veterans Park ball field, irrigation at Bicknell Park, and a new fence and backstop for the softball field at Haines Park. 

Councilor Kate Berard, who was also a member of the previous town council, asked if the Vets Park lights had been discussed earlier. 

Hervey said they had not, adding that the rejection of the synthetic turf questions in November had opened the door to fund other projects not listed in an earlier fields report completed by an outside firm. 

Berard later said she was hoping to see a more dedicated and systematic approach toward field maintenance in Barrington. She said the DPW was currently spread thin with other work and she wants to see a dedicated field maintenance crew. 

That message runs counter to the memo Hervey shared with council members for the Jan. 13 meeting: “The Town does not recommend hiring additional DPW laborers at this time. We also do not recommend creating a dedicated field maintenance crew, as the current workforce is cross-trained, which provides the DPW Superintendent flexibility to ramp up or scale down the number of workers needed to maintain fields throughout the year.”

Berard said a cross-trained crew is “awesome” but the priority is field maintenance — natural grass field maintenance. She said she wants to make sure the town is looking toward long-term solutions. 

Berard also said she wants to be careful with the list of projects that are funded — I don’t think lights at Vets Park is number one in my mind, she added. 

Berard found support in Barrington Town Council President Braxton Cloutier. He said his top two priorities are a dedicated field maintenance crew and a field maintenance plan. 

“I know I will continue to advocate for having more bodies,” Cloutier said. 

Hervey’s memo also referenced a field maintenance plan: “DPW has had to work on fields when they can, but availability is impacted by weather, and high usage by youth leagues and school programs, including recess, gym classes etc.”

The memo stated that a field scheduling software program recently adopted by the town is expected to address some of the challenges. 

A short time later, Cloutier made a motion to request the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission to recommend a list of prioritized projects for by the $5 million fields bond. The motion stated that the list would be ready for the March 3 town council meeting. 

Councilor Kerry O’Neill seconded the motion, which passed 5-0. 

A neighbor’s offer

A moment after the vote, a resident at the meeting asked if the council was going to allow the public to comment on the issue. Cloutier then re-opened the topic for public comment. 

Leonard Yui, who lives near Chianese Park, said he had reviewed the plan for Chianese drafted by Pare Engineering. Yui said he has a background in architecture and landscape architecture and would like the opportunity to create an alternate plan for the Chianese property. He also said his neighbor is the former director for Blithewold and she would like to work with him on the plan. 

He said Chianese offers a lot of opportunities — he mentioned a plan that integrates maintenance and ecological elements. Yui asked for more time so that he could present the alternate plan to the council. 

Gail Read also lives near Chianese Park. She asked that officials consider a walking trail be included with additional trees planted. She said the space should be inviting to all residents, not just for athletics. 

Jessica Allen spoke about Victory Field and maintenance costs, but Cloutier said that issue would be better directed at school officials. 

Tom Rimoshytus was the next to speak. The member of the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission challenged Allen on some of the information she shared about maintenance costs associated with a synthetic field at the high school. He also said he did not remember any references to a maintenance program in the fields report drafted for the town. Berard later responded, citing the language for the $5 million fields bond, which included maintenance.

Councilor Liana Cassar asked how maintenance of Victory Field would work. Hervey said the town would handle that. There was a brief mention that East Providence contracts out some of its field maintenance to outside contractors.