Allan Klepper is hoping the town will consider expanding the mooring field in Hundred Acre Cove.

Klepper approached the Barrington Town Council at its July 22 meeting and explained his request. The longtime Barrington resident said the only currently-approved mooring area is on the east side of the cove, which abuts dozens of homes. Klepper told Council members the town should investigate opening up the western side of Hundred Acre Cove — closer to Walker Farm — to additional moorings.

In a follow-up interview, Klepper said the harbormaster recently approved a new mooring for the East Bay Rowing Club at the end of Henry Drive.

Klepper, a Henry Drive resident and an official with the neighborhood association that includes homes on that road, said the rowing club accesses the boat on the new mooring early in the morning.

“There’s this terrible looking boat — an eight-passenger training craft,” Klepper said. “They come early in the morning and it wakes the people up.”

Klepper said he has spoken with an official from the East Bay Rowing Club regarding the issue.

“I said ‘I’ve got nothing against your rowing club, but isn’t it a pain … to come across here … wouldn’t it be better if it was over there,” Klepper said, referring to a spot closer to the Walker Farm side of the cove. “She said ‘You’re right! I’ve got nothing against you. That’s where he put it.’”

East Bay Rowing’s Deb Sullivan confirmed the club requested a new mooring with the town.

“East Bay Rowing applied for a mooring in the Walker Farm mooring field on the mooring maps,” Sullivan wrote in an email to the Barrington Times. “Our barge mooring was approved and placed where is it currently housed.”

Klepper’s bigger complaint may be with a town-approved plan that reportedly does not allow for moorings on the western side of Hundred Acre Cove. According to Barrington Harbormaster Brian Hunt, the current prohibition on moorings along the western side of Hundred Acre Cove is part of the approved harbor management plan. Hunt said the Barrington Harbor Commission worked on the plan, which was later approved by the Barrington Town Council and RI Coastal Resources Management Council.

“If he (Klepper) wants to change it, he should be going to the Harbor Commission,” Hunt said. “This is part of the harbor management plan.”

Klepper said now is a great time for the Barrington Town Council to take a refreshed look at the Hundred Acre Cove mooring field. He said the town and state have recently made significant improvements to Walker Farm, including better accessibility and resilience to future coastal storm events.

“What I said to the Council is ‘Why don’t you investigate this?’” Klepper said. “You’re building a new entrance. You cleaned out the area… Walker Farm. You’re putting in a new place for the boats. You’re putting a dock in. Why don’t you do this?”

Klepper said he is not confident the Council will pursue this issue.

Meanwhile, Hunt cautioned against changing the harbor management plan. The Harbormaster said that Hundred Acre Cove already experiences boat traffic issues when the weather is nice. He said that adding new moorings along the western side of Hundred Acre Cove will amplify those issues.

“You’re going to open it up to everyone,” he said. “We don’t need more boat traffic. We already have kayaks and rowboats. Do you want them mixing with more power boats? It’ll be too much traffic. People (in power boats) already can’t see the kayakers because they’re not paying attention.

“It’s already overcrowded.”

The town currently manages mooring fields in the harbor, Police Cove, Smith’s Cove, off Barrington Beach, in Hundred Acre Cove and a few other spots. Hunt said the harbor and Police Cove are at capacity with moorings.

Any additional moorings in Hundred Acre Cove would be open to anyone interested. The only requirement is that the people using the mooring are able to access the water.