To the editor:

At the upcoming Barrington Financial Town Meeting (FTM), the town will bring a motion to investigate tearing down the monastery building at 25 Watson Ave. I encourage all Barrington residents to attend the FTM, and vote to reject this motion in order to preserve the monastery.

Preserving the monastery is the best way to meet the council’s objective of providing 55+ senior housing, with a proportion of units being designated as affordable housing. In fact, when the 25 Watson Ad-Hoc Committee asked for public feedback on 10 different concept designs, the overwhelming winner was preservation of the existing monastery building. Furthermore, tearing down the monastery has the potential to release asbestos into the environment, which is of great concern to local families. It would be safer to contain asbestos within the existing structure. 

Preserving the monastery also preserves the existing green space for future generations. This green space is home to a diversity of wildlife, and could be used for the benefit of all townspeople and residents alike, with the potential development of a walking trail and other recreational facilities. Once the green space is gone, it’s gone forever. 

It makes sense to specify a green development that includes solar panels and other features that would benefit the environment, all possible by refurbishing the existing building. Indeed, it is often said the greenest building is the one that’s already there! While the building has been a part of this community for over 70 years it can certainly be improved and made beautiful, like several other local refurbishments of older buildings (e.g. American Tourister).

 The town’s architect has indicated that with new windows, styling and landscaping, the existing monastery could become a development that people would want to call home - especially with its views of Narragansett Bay. Finally, preserving the monastery in order to develop approximately 20 senior housing units meets four key goals of the town’s comprehensive plan: Meet the need of an aging 55+ population; embrace a cleaner, greener future; conserve and protect the special qualities of Barrington neighborhoods; and protect environmentally sensitive areas.

The town will ask you to vote ‘Yes’ and give them options, but to vote ‘Yes’ will give the town permission to pursue other options that cram more units onto this unique property. They could pursue cookie-cutter box designs like ‘cottage courts’ that do not keep with the character of our town, and result in increased traffic unsustained by narrow local roads. Your neighborhood could be next. Vote ‘No’ to preserve the monastery.

Ian Burgess

Barrington