Letter: Vote Yes on Questions 9 and 10 to improve town fields

Posted 10/29/24

To the editor:

I strongly encourage all Barrington voters to please vote Yes on Questions 9 and 10 on the election ballot if you want to improve Barrington’s town fields. After decades of …

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Letter: Vote Yes on Questions 9 and 10 to improve town fields

Posted

To the editor:

I strongly encourage all Barrington voters to please vote Yes on Questions 9 and 10 on the election ballot if you want to improve Barrington’s town fields. After decades of problems, this is your chance to make a difference. If Questions 9 and 10 do not pass, our town fields will remain deficient into the future.    

Question 9 is to approve the specific proposal to install a synthetic turf field at the Barrington Middle School (BMS). Town voters approved the funding for this project at the May 2024 Financial Town Meeting. Now, voters must approve the specific proposal itself for it to pass.  

Voting yes on Question 9 will help resolve the longstanding problems that (1) Barrington does not have enough fields in town; (2) the existing fields in town are overused; (3) the existing fields in town are in poor condition because of their overuse; and, (4) importantly, the town is unable to rest its existing fields.  

These same exact issues have been documented in town reports for almost 40 years – since 1986 – without any action for improvement. Approving the proposal for a synthetic turf field at BMS will directly improve all of those longstanding problems.

For example, the synthetic turf field at BMS can provide three-to-four times more usage than a natural grass field (with significantly lower annual maintenance costs) and will allow the grass fields in town to rest on a rotating basis, which is critical to improve the condition of all our grass fields. The field can be used by youth programs, school sports, and others for activities such as soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, football (flag and tackle), potentially baseball and softball, and any other general recreational activities. 

Further, the synthetic turf field at BMS will be fully recyclable (like the new synthetic turf field at East Providence High School) and made with organic infill or no infill.

Question 10 is more general, to vote on whether there could be a synthetic turf field anywhere else on town-owned property at some point in the future other than Barrington High School or BMS. Currently, there is no proposed location for another synthetic turf field on non-school property. If Question 10 is approved, the town will have the option in the future if an opportunity becomes available, as opposed to precluding the option.  

So, please vote to approve Questions 9 and 10 to finally make a substantial improvement to our decades-long field problems in Barrington.  Thank you very much for your consideration.

Robert Humm

Barrington

Rob Humm is the Vice President of the Barrington Town Council.

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