Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia said he has worked with the pastor at the Barrington Presbyterian Church to build a temporary parking solution for the over-crowded student lot at Barrington High School. 

Chief Correia said the church has agreed to open its parking lot — located behind the Barrington Presbyterian Church on County Road — to BHS students who had been parking on Tiffany Circle and at the Gourley Field lot on Upland Way.  

Chief Correia said the plan should eliminate the need for students to park their vehicles on Tiffany Circle, which has been a point of concern for residents living in that neighborhood. 

“The pastor has been kind enough to allow 15-20 cars in their lot,” Chief Correia said during an interview on Monday morning, April 14. The chief said the church parking lot will be restricted to those students who had been parking on Tiffany Circle and at the Gourley Field lot. 

People living in the Tiffany Circle and Priscilla Drive neighborhood recently sent a letter to town officials calling for resident-only parking on their streets. They said students’ vehicles parked on their streets had created a dangerous environment “given their limited driving experience, the congestion of cars at the exit/entrance of the circle, and a large amount of pedestrian traffic.”

School officials said the parking issue is likely due to the unusually large senior class — there are more than 300 students in this year’s senior class. The student parking lot fills quickly most days, and students unable to find a spot there look to nearby streets. 

“The spring gets more challenging as more juniors receive their licenses and are hoping to park on campus,” Barrington High School Principal Chris Ashley wrote in a recent message to the Barrington Times. 

“As much as possible, we are encouraging students, especially juniors, to either carpool, get dropped off or take a school bus (if eligible).”

Barrington officials earlier suggested that students may be able to park at the RIPTA Park and Ride lot on County Road, near the Barrington Congregational church, but that is not an option. A church leader told town officials that the parking lot is owned by the church and under a binding contract with the State of Rhode Island — it can only be use by commuters, church workers, and the daycare program at the church. 

Presbyterian church lot

Chief Correia said police officers will be posted along Tiffany Circle on Monday, April 21, instructing students to use the parking lot at the Barrington Presbyterian Church. Students can then walk a path that leads from the lot to Tiffany Circle and then to the high school.   

“It’s a temporary solution,” Chief Correia said, adding some advice for students: “Let’s try to be good citizens.”

The police chief said the parking arrangement could be altered if the Barrington Presbyterian Church needs to hold a funeral.