To the editor:

Earlier this year, the town spent $82,000 on a 120-plus page report identifying Barrington's unmet indoor recreational needs. The report, thorough in its analysis, recommended building a new indoor recreation center at an estimated cost of over $1 million. However, the Town shelved the idea due to its high cost and opposition from neighborhoods where land is available.

Fortunately, Barrington’s indoor recreational needs don’t have to go unmet. The Bayside YMCA, an underused community resource, already has the capacity to accommodate additional activities. Moreover, the facility could be remodeled to add space, addressing these needs in a more cost-effective way than building a new center.

One important group often overlooked in these discussions is our senior population. While voters approved a bond to invest in outdoor green spaces, the programming in these areas typically overlooks seniors, who are more likely to participate in activities like swimming and aerobics. The Bayside Y is committed to filling this gap, offering health programs both at the branch and the Peck Center that provide welcoming spaces for seniors to stay active and improve their well-being.

Currently, 26 percent of Barrington residents are Bayside YMCA members—the highest membership rate in Rhode Island. Twenty percent of these memberships are subsidized to assist lower-income residents, underscoring the Y’s role as a vital community resource.

Memberships fund a significant portion of the Bayside Y’s revenue, but unfortunately, membership levels have not fully recovered since the pandemic. As a result, the Y continues to rely on external funding to maintain its services, which is why we approached the town for ARPA funds to repair the only public outdoor swimming pool in the East Bay.

We are a private non-profit organization. We acknowledge that the town's allocation of one-time ARPA funds to us represents a change in our community. However, for years the Bayside Y has benefited from the town's support of the Y's parking lot. This public-private partnership has been mutually beneficial. We are eager to explore with the town other opportunities for our public-private partnership that will enable us to prioritize the unmet indoor recreational needs of our community and to work together to obtain funding from many other sources.

Chuck Van Sluyter

Barrington