To the editor:

The recent editorial in the Barrington Times did not go far enough into the demise of the town’s recreational facilities. 

I question the proposed suggestion for a turf field when the town does not maintain its present facilities that were created from bonds and through fund-raising. As the former recreation director, I met with the town manager and with various department heads regarding my concerns of the deteriorating conditions at the Kids Kove, the high school tennis courts and the Chianese playground. 

Kids Kove has an entrance that is boarded up, a xylophone that has been dismantled, a play surface that needs resurfacing, and a wooden structure that needs to be painted with a preservative. 

The high school tennis courts have grass growing through the seams with low spots appearing on the playing surface. Repair would require fixing the low spots, repainting and lining the courts, and replacing the seams. 

The Chianese playing surface needs to be repainted and relined to retain the quality of its surface. It hasn’t been touched in 10 years. 

There are additional questions regarding the surface at Legion Way and its ability to retain water. The town needs to create an on-going maintenance plan and a schedule to address these issues. Such a plan would be cost effective especially with regard to the replacement of such facilities with bonds along with prolonging the life of these facilities. 

In regard to better fields, there are some challenges. Chianese has the greatest potential for greater field availability. The major drawback is that it sits on a capped dump and watering is an issue. I do believe that fields can be better managed if we could get an individual in the DPW certified in turf management to oversee the care and maintenance of these facilities. 

I am hopeful that the town will take some immediate action and utilize some of the funds that it will be receiving from Washington to cover losses due to the pandemic. It is also time for the school department to pay their fair share in the upkeep of these facilities since they are essential to the safe use of their sports programs.   

I am hopeful we will get some response from the administration.

Thanks,

John Taylor    

Barrington