Bag Ban, Municipal Court, Community Center Study Going Before Councilors

An ordinance to ban plastic grocery and takeout bags will be introduced at the Barrington Town Council meeting tonight, Sept. 10.

The councilors also will deal with the establishment of a municipal court in Barrington.

And a request to hire a consultant to determine the financial feasibility of building a community center in Barrington – a significant study that could make or break the project -- is on the agenda.

So is a revision to the easement agreement with the Bayside YMCA for the town-owned parking lot next to the ‘Y’ is on the agenda.

The meeting starts at 7 pm in the Council Chamber in Town Hall with interviews for vacant positions on the Committee for Renewable Energy for Barrington (CREB) and the Conservation Commission.

The plastic-ban bag ordinance would abolish their use in Barrington while encouraging the sale and use of recycled and reusable cloth bags. See Patch story on the ordinance. A public hearing on the ordinance will be held at the Town Council’s Oct. 1 meeting.

Barrington has received the approval from the General Assembly to set up a Municipal Court to handle violations of traffic laws, the dog ordinance, harbor violations, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and minimum housing and zoning laws.

Town Manager Peter DeAngelis Jr. and Councilor Cynthia Coyne will discuss whether a municipal court will provide a net revenue gain while making it more convenient for the police department to handle those types of cases.

The Community Center Task Force, established by the Town Council to assess the feasibility of such a facility in Barrington, has selected a consultant to help it determine the financial support it could receive.  The proposed consultant, Hanna Street Consulting of Providence, would charge the town approximately $23,000 to complete the project over the next couple of months.

The revisions to the YMCA easement agreement involve the “binding effect” and “duration” of the agreement. In short, the agreement would remain in effect as long as the facility is used by a non-profit for recreation and community activities in perpetuity.

Other items on the agenda include:

• The Park and Recreation Commission is asking for the councilors to deal with a tennis court ordinance, a dog ordinance, a wet field policy and the Barrington Beach fee for seniors. The commission would like the Town Council-mandated fee of $10 a season to be rescinded.
• Spencer Trust allocations of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively, for the East Bay Center and East Bay Community Action Program.
• A donation of land on Peck Lane to the town.
• Access to public records procedures.