2024 Warrant Article Requests pertaining to Recreation

Community Center Grant Application:

Click HERE for floor plans & overview.

Barrington Recreation Department applied for a $1 million CCIP grant opportunity in November 2023. This grant focuses on community centers and bringing residents together. There is a separate library bond warrant article which includes $300,000 to make the existing library space functional. The timing is great to pursue this grant opportunity and address ongoing Recreation needs while lowering the financial impact for residents. This warrant article is contingent on receiving the CCIP grant and we expect to hear about the award sometime in March. The Recreation warrant article is solely for the acceptance of these funds (if awarded), with the required $150,000 match coming from the Recreation Revolving Fund. Below is a breakdown of potential outcomes based on approved funding.

1) Barrington is awarded CCIP grant and library is approved: Available funds would be utilized to retrofit vacated library space and make connection between the two floors. Please see appendix A for floor plan layout.

2) Barrington is awarded the grant, but the library fails: If the library space is not available, we will utilize the available funds to include a small addition off the entrance of Recreation building, and relocate the current offices. The current office space would be transformed into kitchenette to accommodate a variety of multi- generational programming. Please see appendix B for floor plan layout.

3) Grant is not awarded but library passes: We would utilize the $300,000 to maximize impact to upstairs space to ensure the space is as conducive to Barrington residents needs. Renovations would be a simplified version of appendix A to maximize utilization.

Proposed Barrington Commons and Town Center Tax Increment Financing District:                                                                                      

Click HERE for more information on this project.

Click HERE to review the January 8th public hearing presentation.

Click HERE for visual conceptual drawings of proposed Barrington Commons.

The plan is to buy the 13-acre vacant lot in-between Calef's Country Store, the Post Office, MD Motors (formerly Knight's Garage), and the Elementary School and establish a Barrington Commons park with gathering and recreation features.  Additionally the plan calls for improvements to the Town Center area including school zone signs, crosswalk(s), and more.  To pay for this plan, residents are asked to consider establishing a tax increment financing district which would capture taxes from new development within the district to pay for the plan.  The proposed Barrington Commons and Town Center Tax Increment Financing District is an approximately 484 acre district (~1.5% of Barrington) which captures commercial, public, and recreation property along Routes 9 and 125 in the Barrington Town Center area.  This is a plan to preserve Barrington's character and to spur economic development in Barrington's Town Center.  Barrington has focused much time and energy on the development of a Town Center.  This has included the 2007 Town Center Plan, 2014 Community Profile, Recreation Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan, updates to the Master Plan, and various changes to the Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map focused on the Town Center.  The vision for this part of Barrington has always included extensive civic use/open space which preserves Barrington's character and supports the desire for commercial development.  The footnote of that vision which has regularly been ignored is; how to fund the type of civic use/open space which residents desire.  A tax increment financing district would create that funding source by utilizing only the added tax value from within the district.

At Town Meeting in 1988, Barrington voters adopted the provisions of RSA 162-K which authorizes tax increment financing districts.  This first step of the process laid the foundation to allow the Select Board to propose tax increment financing districts for voter approval.  In 2022, the Planning Board and Select Board started the conversation around accomplishing the Town's goals for the Town Center.  At the center of those conversations was how to pay for investments in the civic use/open space of the Town Center.  Both Boards felt that a tax increment financing district was a great way to reinvest the increased tax value in order to promote additional commercial development.  The Town Administrator held meetings and solicited input from public and private stakeholders alike.  This input was incorporated into the Development Program presented to the Select Board.