Barrington will hold a special contest to redesign the town seal.

At the April 3 meeting, members of the Barrington Town Council voted 5-0 to approve the expenditure of $1,000 for a town seal design contest. Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey suggested that officials could award $500 to the winner and $100 each to five other finalists. 

Months ago, town officials took a closer look at the town’s seal: a sword on a yellow shield with a light blue background. That design was a shift from the colors used in Barrington’s original seal. That one featured a gold sword on a red shield. 

At an earlier meeting, Hervey asked the Council to reaffirm the original colors. The Council continued the item to the January meeting, in order to allow for public input on the issue. 

The town posted an online survey and received more than 150 responses. According to a memo from Hervey to the Council, there was no clear preference as to whether the town seal should revert to its original colors and remain as it is now. About 54 percent of the respondents said they preferred a seal that omitted the coat of arms, whole 42 percent said they wanted to maintain the coat of arms.

The Town Council also referred the town seal issue to the Economic Development Commission and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. The EDC voted unanimously in support of the following statement: “The EDC does not feel at this time that the need for a redesign of the town seal is substantially high enough to spend funds or town resources.”

The DEI Committee welcomed the redesign effort. 

In his memo to the Council, Hervey recommended handling the contest through an administrative committee. 

“I’ve touched base with the Schools, where there’s clear interest in participating in the redesign – including an art teacher who is interested in sitting on a review committee. I would want to involve the DEI committee and the Economic Development Commission as well, since it would involve rebranding,” Hervey wrote.

A committee has been formed that will eventually review contest entries. The committee includes two art teachers from Barrington High School. 

Hervey said Fall River, Mass. recently held a similar contest.