Park at Police Cove to Get Public Art, Food Trucks, New Name

The ad hoc committee that has designed a park at Police Cove in Barrington plans to solicit public art projects for the park through the callforentry.org website.

The committee also will be distributing a request for proposals (RFP) for mobile trucks to sell food at the park, which lies between the East Bay Bike Path and the Andreozzi Bridge over the river.

And the committee will hold a contest to name the park.

Details for the public art, food vendors and contest will not to be finalized until the next meeting in March. But the committee spent a couple of hours Monday night reviewing drafts for the public art solicitation and food vendor RFP and agreeing that the park should be re-named with help from the community.

Callforentry.org is a national arts website that works with municipalities to solicit permanent art projects for public spaces.

Several areas within the park have already been identified for works of art, including a circular area in the waterfront plaza, two landscaped areas near County Road, and the surface of the plaza.

A budget of up to $25,000 is being set aside for one of more artworks at the site, which will become the property of Barrington. Artists from across the country will be asked to make proposals through the callforentry.org website.

The artwork is expected to be built as part of the construction timeline, which still has to be determined with the consultant, Steve Derderian of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. But construction could start as early as June depending on receiving all permits and be completed in September.

The RFP for food trucks anticipates three food vendors in the park at the same time offering a diversity of food choices. Each vendor will have a space built into the park design that is approximately 10 feet wide by 25 feet long. Electricity will be provided by Barrington.

All proposals will be evaluated based a criteria that includes operating experience in the field, proposed food and menu options, and willingness to partner with Barrington on an ongoing basis. 

Names for the park are expected to be solicited through the local media and the Barrington website. Preferences will be given to suggestions that reflect the history of the area and its proximity to the waterfront. 

The park area, for instance, has been known as Police Cove for at least 35 years because it used to house the Barrington police station. But it also sits adjacent to the East Bay Bike Path that was once a railroad line with a station in that area. 

The final design includes a waterfront promenade with ornamental railings and benches, an open lawn for flexible use, a transient boat dock near the existing boat ramp, a parking area for food trucks near a dining area, a kiosk, parking for cars and boat trailers, several bike racks, and a portable toilet and storage space.

Cost for the park is around $780,000, with almost all of it already in hand. Another $200,000 is available to rebuild the boat ramp for emergency service boats that patrol the Barrington River in the summer.