Here's What's Up With Police Cove
The Barrington committee designing a park in 'police cove' meets Monday, Feb. 25, to continue discussions about public art, food trucks and re-naming the park.
Barrington's Police Cove Park Committee meets Monday, Feb. 25, for the first time since last fall.
The meeting will take place in the Council Chamber in Town Hall. It starts at 7 pm.
The agenda includes three items of unfinished business, according to Town Planner Phil Hervey:
- Public Art Budget and Process
- RFP/Guidelines for Food Trucks/Vendors
- Re-naming the Park
The committee envisions utilizing the park next to the Barrington Bridge just north of County Road as a site for shows, exhibitions and possibiy built-in art works.
The committee has already built into the park a location for food trucks and vendors to set up shop; it still must determine the interest with a request for proposal (RFP) to be sent out, and guidelines to handle the trucks.
There is interest in a contest to re-name the park, which will be constructed on the site that has been called "police cove" for decades because it housed the former Barrington police station.
Manifold Witness
1:47 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
When is the test drive?
Get 35 cars,
80 people (about 40 of them children),
3 vehicles needing ADA parking.
Throw in a few dogs
just for fun.
Get a few food vendors
and some artists.
Put the porta-potty
near the corner parking.
Don’t forget the 5 vehicles towing boats,
driving “head in”
and then needing to maneuver the launch
and then park the vehicle.
One short road for ingress and egress.
A waiting line on Route 114.
Both ways.
Hold a test run.
And then name the place
Police Cove Fantasy Land.
Barbara Donovan
4:28 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Manifold - you must have been one of the voters who wanted to sell this property to the "glass blowers" and lose our boat launch.
The Save The Station Committee worked very hard to keep this waterfront property in the ownership of the Town rather than sell it out as they are trying to do now with our scarce waterfront land.
We have a $300,000 grant to upgrade this area for the quiet relaxation of the residents of Barrington.
I was President of that Committee and we worked hard - we lost the building, but saved the waterfront. Don't make fun until you see it completed. Barbara
Manifold Witness
5:08 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Is it so restricted, Barbara?
As always, thank you for your good work and efforts, Barbara.
But your "must assumptions" are incorrect - "glass blowers" were not the only other option.
Police Cove Fantasy Land is not restricted to the "quiet relaxation of the residents of Barrington". Is it?
One day, there was one pickup truck with a boat trailer using the area that is now designated for 5 such arrangements. That one truck took up the entire area as it maneuvered around there.
“Making fun”? No. The concerns are quite serious. Just raising them before-the-fact rather than waiting for it to be all done.
See the corner parking?
See the porta-pottie?
See the risks?
See the little road?
It’s bad enough if the parking spots are not full. What happens when they are?
With all those vehicles moving in and out of that small area?
And children running around?
Foreseeable problems? You bet.
Don't need to see it completed to know that.
Barbara Donovan
8:52 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I do believe there will be some restrictions on traffic and parking once the park is finished. There will also be more bikers stopping there.
It can be a nice spot if done right - we are having a meeting Monday night, why don't you come? We all would welcome ideas and suggestions. Good group working on it !
I will mention your concerns when we meet. We have spent a lot of time on this and want it to be a success -- It is the "doorway" to Barrington.
My biggest concern is "trash". And yes, I worry about the traffic flow on County Rd. - We may have to have a light - probably should have one anyway. Kids cross there. Barbara
Lorraine F
1:30 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
Barbara,
Did you say a traffic light? With all due respect, have you seen the traffic tie ups on the other side of the bridge trying to get out of New Meadow onto Rt 114?
It would be quite a problem to put a light up for this park, and ignore the New Meadow / Rt 114 intersection.
Can you imagine a light on both sides of the bridge, and then maybe another one on Sowams/Rt114? Barrington's version of Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence.
The DOT traffic guru's forgot to plan for middle turning lanes when they did the bridge work.
.
If you are getting state funds, I'm inclined to think this will not be just Barrington residents. Take a look at Walker Farm on a summer weekend. It's not just Barrington residents launching all those nautical dirt bikes, aka jet ski's.
I know this is work for the committee, but I'm in agreement with the comments made by Manifold. We might be better off to put the financial resources into improving Walker Farm where there is more space and less chance of traffic problems due to the divided highway at that point.
Local Bargain Jerk
8:05 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
-- I worry about the traffic flow on County Rd. - We may have to have a light - probably
-- should have one anyway.
Lorraine is spot-on in her response to this.
If you have a traffic light in the back of your mind as a means of solving the traffic issues MW is rightly raising -- before this project is launched -- it's not an indication that a traffic light is needed, it's a symptom that this design is not fully considered.
Northbound traffic, stopped at a light at the foot of the bridge, and reaching back and blocking access to New Meadow Road, will be a holy nightmare.
-- we worked hard - we lost the building, but saved the waterfront. Don't make fun
-- until you see it completed.
The problem is that this design isn't complete. It hasn't even begun to consider some of the fundamental and valid issues MW is raising.
My questions are:
1) What is the fundamental purpose of this spot? Is it a place to launch boats or a place for the public to gather?
2) Does the committee believe that 70-80 people will gather in this space and:
a) Take in all the public art?
b) Patronize the informal farmers market?
c) Sit....where?
d) Enjoy the view of the underside of the bridges and the steady progress and "chatter" of the folks throwing hooks into the water?
3) Or will the space actually be used as a parking/fish-cleaning area by the bridge fishermen, with the Barrington residents too concerned to linger there?
Is this a working dock or a park?
Manifold Witness
9:41 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
As usual, the Town of Barrington is paying to invent a square wheel.
Go online and see prudent designs. Not for nothin’, but none of them look anything like what is being proposed for Barrington.
For example:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/building-boat-ramps.asp
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/4/pdfs/grants/facilitystandards.pdf
There are no restrictions on the use of the Police Cove Fantasy Land being solely for the “quiet relaxation of the residents of Barrington”. On nice days, the lots could quickly fill up with folks from out-of-town, out-of-state.
Picture the kiddies running across the crowded little road from the porta-pottie to the lines for the food trucks.
If the lots are full and a truck towing a boat pulls in anyway, how will it turn around to get out of there? (See how prudent designs address this with one-way traffic and pull-through parking spaces, etc.) Picture the traffic flow in and out of that park as boats are being launched and pulled out of the water.
The Town Council already rejected the idea of adding a traffic light in the area. “Council Kate Weymouth said: ‘I think the congestion we already have would get worse.’”
And, as usual, Local Bargain Jerk rocks.
Barbara Donovan
11:31 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
I did not mean that the park would not be public, of course it will. I mentioned Barrington residents only in passing. Monday night should be a good place for all to be so you can get all your questions answered. Please come !! Barbara
Manifold Witness
2:18 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
Who will answer questions at the meeting? Where are the minutes posted, please? Here are the most recent agenda:
POLICE COVE PARK COMMITTEE AGENDA
2/25/13- 7:00 p.m.
Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, Town Hall
283 County Road, Barrington, RI
1. Call Meeting to Order
2. Adopt Minutes of September 18, 2012 Meeting
3. Update: Latest Plans
4. Discussion and Recommendation:
a. Public Art Budget and Process
b. RFP/Guidelines for Food Trucks/Vendors
c. Re-naming the Park
5. Next Steps
6. Adjourn
(10/12 meeting cancelled. 9/13/12- site visit.)
9/18/12
1. Call Meeting to Order
2. Adopt Minutes of May 29, 2012 Meeting
3. Review Latest Plans / Provide Guidance on Design Elements
4. Discussion:
a. Public Art Budget and Process
b. Re-naming the Park
c. Guidelines for Food Trucks/Vendors
5. Next Steps
6. Adjourn
5/29/12
1. Call Meeting to Order
2. Adopt Minutes of February 29, 2012 Meeting
3. Review Design Details for Final Plan
4. Discuss Process to:
a. Re-Brand the Park
b. Solicit Public Art Proposals
c. Develop Criteria for Selecting Food Vendors
5. Next Steps
6. Adjourn
Local Bargain Jerk
6:29 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
If an RFP is going to be issued to line up "Food Trucks/Vendors", then it seems the design is a fait accompli. What questions need to be answered?
Here are a few. As a question of simple economics:
- Let's assume that on a sunny weekend, we are truly maxed out and 80 people use the space at any one time.
- Let's also assume that this group turns itself over 3 times per 8-hour day. That's 240 patrons.
- Let's further assume that during their stay, they purchase an average of $10 each of food from the trucks. That's $2,400 in sales.
- If the 3 trucks shown in the diagram are the number of vendors being considered, that works out to $800 in sales per weekend day, per truck.
Do we really think that we can enjoy 100% capacity for the 6-month period that the park will be usable? I don't. I'd say 50% would be a more realistic number. In fact, it's probably high, but let's go with it. That would be $400 per truck per 8-hour day. That's $50 worth of sales per hour.
If we take out the $8/hr minimum wage for the server, the cost of goods sold (let's say 20%), and some money for the insurance, loan, etc. for the truck, this isn't exactly a whale of a proposition for a vendor. Out of the tiny slice that remains, how much was Barrington planning to charge for parking there? $20 per day? $50 per day?
Those are my questions concerning the RFP, but they don't really matter. MW's questions concerning traffic and the adequacy of the trailer space are more important.
Barbara Donovan
5:56 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
Manifold - There will be representatives from the planning board, harbor commission, parks and recreation, conservation and others to answer your questions.
Joan Warren and Larry Trim are co-chairs.
I think minutes are located on the Town website.
Not sure of that ------ I get my copy at the meetings. Barbara
Manifold Witness
6:33 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
There's no public comment period on the agenda, nor is it a public hearing.
It's a meeting of the committee.
Any other boards and/or subcommittees of any other boards would need to post their own agenda, of course.
Gosh, with all those smart people in the room the issues that need to be addressed (as set forth here) are sure to be raised by someone on the committee, right?
The minutes are not available on the town's website. They are not on the Secretary of State's website either. And they are late.