Power-less Barrington Bouncing Back

Even without power, Barrington started righting itself on Monday after receiving a vicious glancing blow from Hurricane Irene.

The Town Hall opened its doors – literally -- to let residents stop by to pay taxes or make an inquiry. The usual array of questions were asked and answered, said clerk Crystal Pacheco. 

The open doors also helped to circulate air in the Town Hall, which lacked electrical power like most everyone else in Barrington.

Town Manager Peter DeAngels Jr. said trash will be picked up on Tuesday for home owners who normally have a pickup on Monday and Tuesday. 

“Residents can put their yard waste in the paper bags on the same day as their trash pickup,” he added. “Larger debris should be stacked by the curb for a later pickup.”

You don’t need to make an appointment, DeAngelis said.

“But be patient,” he said. “We’ll pick up the items street by street, so it might take some time.”

DeAngelis said he has been answering numerous questions about the power outage. 

“I simply don’t know when it will come back on,” he said. “I don’t think National Grid knows when it will come back on.”

At least four Barrington stores reopened for business Monday – under somewhat unusual circumstances. 

Shaw’s supermarket had no perishable foods, said store manager Sheila Medeiros. But it was operating with full lighting and electronic equipment courtesy of generators.

“We have the same store hours,” she said.

CVS/pharmacy was open but operating in the dark and without cash registers.

“I’m writing everything down on paper,” said Christine Jorge, a CVS supervisor. “I’ll transfer it to a cash register when we get the power back.”

Customers were greeted at the door and asked if they were there for a prescription or something else.

“We’ll be open until dark,” said Jorge.

Across the shopping plaza, Barrington Books was operating on generator power – with an occasional blackout. Then the lights spring back on.

Laura Costa, a store clerk, said people have been buying books, games and puzzles.

At Center ACE Hardware, a generator was powering the cash register and portable lights were illuminating the aisles. Customers were greeted by clerks carrying flashlights to light up an aisle or shelf if need be.

Traffic lights were out all day in Barrington. No accidents were reported.

Barrington police officers, including Police Chief John LaCross for a while this morning, were controlling traffic at the busy County Road and White Church traffic light.

The police department also secured and erected a couple of stop signs on Federal Road and Massasoit Road to help handle the east-west traffic. 

The police officers were relieved at around 4:30 pm by four members of the National Guard MP unit stationed in Warren. Two Hummer vehicles straddled the sidewalk. They helped to slow traffic on County Road.