Peter A. DeAngeles Jr. is Barrington's town manager. His office provides day-to-day support and direction for the operation of all municipal services, including the police, fire, public works, building, and administrative departments. DeAngelis prepares the annual municipal budget for the Town Council. His office often gets directly involved in handling problems brought to the town by residents. "We're a good place to start," DeAngelis said. "I take pride in being accessible, with an open door policy." He describes his mission as offering full, efficient, and high-quality services while maintaining a safe community and "doing our best to stay fiscally sound" for all residents and taxpayers alike.
The Newport County Regional Special Education Program, serving the towns of Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton, is located in Middletown and teams with local educators to meet the federal and state mandates for special education services. The office is located at 26 Oliphant Lane, in a shared facility with the Middletown Public Schools Department in the former Oliphant Elementary School.
The Regional Special Education Program was established in 1979 for the local communities to join forces in providing the full continuum of special education services for children identified with disabilities.
The legal collaborative works with local school personnel to support the specialized instruction and services for students with disabilities and special needs. Parents are encouraged to work with their child's principal, guidance counselor, teachers and related service personnel throughout this process. If there is suspicion that a student has a disability which impacts his or her educational performance he or she may be eligible for special education services. The process toward referral includes:
- Response to Intervention Team – RTI
- Referral to the Eligibility Team with all necessary data and documentation – ETM
- Determination of Necessary Data and Evaluation Information
- Determination of Eligibility for Special Education Services-Case Conference
- If eligible, Development of an Individual Education Plan-IEP
For more information, please visit the Newport County Regional Special Education Program website.
The Department of Public Works is charged with maintaining the town's infrastructure--streets, sidewalks, public buildings and parks, sanitary and storm sewers. The department paves and sweeps streets, fixes potholes, paints lines and crosswalks, clears snow and spreads salt on the roadways.
This deparment inspects, cleans and maintains the 100 miles of sanitary sewer lines and 11 pumping and ejection stations in town. It makes sure catch basins are free of leaves and debris and that storm drains run free, and trims trees and chips stumps. It prepares and maintains athletics fields for the town's sports leagues.
The Department of Public Works also operates the recycling center, located next to the DPW facility on Upland Way.
The director of the office is Alan Corvi.
The Town of Barrington Recreation department offers a variety of activities and events, including a summer camp for children ages four to 12, tennis and golf tournaments, tennis lessons, an annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony, a Barrington Beach Day and a breakfast with grandparents at the Barrington Senior Center. It also schedules the use of baseball and soccer fields for local youth sports leagues.
John Taylor is Barrington's recreation director. The town resident was named to the position in 2007 after a long career as a coach and intramurals director at Rhode Island College. He works closely with the Parks and Recreation Commission, an eight-member volunteer board. The recreation office is located in the lower level of the library and community center.
Harbormaster Raymond Sousa and five assistant harbormasters enforce boating laws, maintain safety, respond to emergencies and rescue calls and manage the town's waters, including the mooring fields. They patrol the Barrington River, Hundred Acre Cove and the upper reaches of Narragansett Bay with two patrol boats docked in Police Cove just off County Road. Patrols run eight hours a day from Memorial Day to Labor Day and on weekends in May and September. They are on standby the rest of the year and serve as the main liaison with the U.S. Coast Guard. The harbormaster's office is in the Public Safety Building on Federal Road.
Barrington's Town Hall dates to 1888 and is one of the most visually striking buildlings in town. Constructed of local boulders in Tudor Medieval style, it is located in the center of town next to the Public Library and Kids Kove playground.
The Town of Barrington Fire Department is comprised of a full-time staff of 25 stationed at the headquarters in the Public Safety building on Federal Road and a volunteer staff of 12 at the Hampden Meadows station. Each firefighter and EMT receives the same training and equipment to respond to fires, motor vehicle accidents, emergency medical incidents, marine rescues and the handling of hazardous material spills. The department also handles calls such as pumping water out of basements, home renovation inspections, medical transport and tank removal. The total number of calls to the department typically exceeds 2,000 a year, according to Fire Chief Gerald Bessette. Among the firefighting and rescue equipment are two engines, a ladder truck, three rescue vehicles and two boats for marine rescues. Six-member platoons staff four shifts to provide around-the-clock protection. EMTs are trained at the cardiac level with additional certifications.