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Town manager defends his use of police/fire fitness center

Jim Cunha says gym in public safety building is not commercial, like hundreds forced to close

By Josh Bickford
Posted 4/30/20

Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha is defending his use of the public safety building’s gym for his daily workouts.

While gyms and fitness centers across the state and beyond remain closed …

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Town manager defends his use of police/fire fitness center

Jim Cunha says gym in public safety building is not commercial, like hundreds forced to close

Posted

Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha is defending his use of the public safety building’s gym for his daily workouts.

While gyms and fitness centers across the state and beyond remain closed due to concerns over the coronavirus, the town manager has allowed the gym inside the Barrington Public Safety Building to remain open. And last week he said he has been using the gym for his personal workouts each morning.

That news drew a response from some residents.

Ann Strong, a former member of the town council, posted a comment to the bottom of the article that critiqued the manager’s use of the gym.

“Is anyone else concerned that the town manager ‘said his own exercise regimen includes an early morning trip to the gym at the Barrington Public Safety Building,’ while everyone else is suffering through the closures of gyms, Ys, beaches and parks???” she wrote.

Barrington resident Libbi Gaiser said she normally keeps to herself but felt this issue deserved a response. She wrote a letter to the editor for this week’s Barrington Times.

“I was hoping to get insight as to how the town manager is able to gain access to the public safety gym first thing in the morning. Is it open to all tax-paying residents? Is there a way we can call to set up an appointment to use it?” she wrote.

“As an active person that is often training for marathons, it would be very beneficial to know since I, like so many, am locked out of my workout location.”

Mr. Cunha said the gym inside the public safety building on Federal Road remains open for the health and well-being of the town’s first responders.

When asked his response to individuals who question the fairness of allowing the town manager to continue his gym workouts in the public safety building’s gym while other residents are closed out of their gyms, Mr. Cunha said:

“It’s not a commercial gym. I’m sure there are many private gyms being used throughout town. It is open for the mental and physical readiness of our first responders.”

By contrast, the Bristol Police Department closed its fitness center, located in the basement of the station, to everyone, officers included, in late March. The Bristol police chief and his executive team regretted doing so, but felt the demands of keeping it clean and sanitized — and the risks of having sweaty bodies sharing equipment — were too high.

Mr. Cunha was asked why Barrington did not take the same approach as the Bristol Police Department.

“It (the Barrington Public Safety Building’s gym) is cleaned on a regular basis, and social distancing is maintained,” he said. “As for me, I am typically at the gym at 4:45 a.m. and am the only person present.”

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