Politics & Government

Imagine an Office With Stone Walls

The basement level of the Barrington Town Hall has been gutted out for new office space that will include fieldstone walls.

The Barrington Town Hall basement level is not much to look at right now – unless you’re intrigued by original fieldstone walls and original rough-cut 2x4 lumber.

Cornerstone Restoration has repointed the walls, which make up the foundation of the Town Hall, which opened in the late 1800s, said Town Manager Peter DeAngelis Jr.

The work is part of a complete renovation of the basement office space into future new office space for the Barrington Recreation Department, The BAY Team and the Barrington Community School. 

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“We gutted it out,” DeAngelis said of the former office space that simply “had served its useful life.”

Barrington has assumed the role of its own general contractor for the project, which has a budget of no more than $175,000. The money is part of the town’s capital budget.

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DeAngelis said he estimated that Barrington would get a bigger bang for its buck by serving as its own general contractor.

“There is usually a markup on each subcontractor,” said DeAngelis. “We think we’re getting a more efficient project.” 

A moisture problem that created damp carpeting and dingy surroundings for the former inhabitants of the space is being eliminated with the renovation. The office space also will be brought up to code, he said.

Work is expected to be completed sometime in the spring, when the Community School and The BAY Team will move back into the lower level. The Recreation Department will move out of a cramped office in the lower level of the Peck center and join them at the same time.

The new space also will include a small conference room, DeAngelis said.


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