The Foundation champions educational opportunities within the Barrington Public School District. Founded in 1992 and entirely staffed by volunteers, the organization has raised over $860,000 for the local schools, funding a wide variety of programs, technology, and materials. Through an annual grant cycle, nearly 100% of the raised capital goes to the schools, providing a direct benefit for the enrichment of students in every grade and school in the district.

The organization was formed in reaction to budget cuts by the school committee and dwindling state funds. Barrington is now one of the highest performing school districts in the state. Since the Rhode Island Department of Education started posting district statistics online in 2003, Barrington High School has been commended by the Board of Regents five times, and has exceeded statewide proficiency targets for seven out of the past eight years. In 2006, 2007, and 2009, Barrington students had the highest scores in math and reading testing in the state.

In her time at the Barrington Education Foundation, Anna has chaired a committee that organizes the Rubber Ducky Race, one of the organization’s largest fundraisers. This year, as co-chair of the Allocations Committee, she “has the pleasure of giving money away,” soliciting and reviewing grant applications from the schools’ faculty and administrators. Ultimately, the committee will recommend which should receive funding to the larger board.

Over the years, Residential Properties Ltd. has been very supportive of the BEF—sponsoring events, opening the Barrington office for use during the annual telethon, donating prizes for the duck race. This year, agents at RPL Barrington pooled their resources to make a significant donation to the foundation.

While the BEF was the first to pioneer the concept, many public education foundations have surfaced throughout the state since it’s inception. Counting the municipalities that belong to a larger school district, 22 out of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns now have some sort of Education Foundation, and many of these organizations have sprung up only in the last three or four years.

The State Department of Education lists this as the first year Rhode Island students scored at or above the national average on all four tests administered by by the federal government on the “Nation’s Report Card,” according to the WRNI Education blog.

We believe that these types of organizations are important to Rhode Island because they consistently impact the educational experience of ALL students within a community.

Nice work, Anna Clancy & the BEF.

GoLocalProv.com, the online newspaper for Rhode Island,  posted their second annual ranking of public high schools around the state.  During their research on the article, we were asked to give our opinion on that decision process from a first hand experience.  Specifically, they wanted to report on how our clients evaluated the schools information.

According to the article the top five high schools in Rhode Island were East Greenwich, Narragansett, Exeter-West Greenwich, South Kingstown, and Barrington.  To see where your school ranked and the rest of the extensive research visit the golocalprov’s site.

While this new addition is a welcome improvement to the community, there is some debate over the prospective bridge height. RIDOT plans to elevate the structure 10 inches, but that is 16 inches less than the HarborMaster’s recommendation. However, the number of piers below the bridge will be reduced, so that boaters have more room for travel.

The bridge will be assembled in a way that ensures the present travel patterns will not be affected. Roadway construction will take place offsite, and the final product will be put in place sometime around Spring 2014. The RIDOT and the town of Barrington are shaping this project with the convenience of the community in mind.

Hampden Meadows is a more affordable neighborhood in Barrington. Known for it’s privacy, this quiet area is surrounded on 3 sides by water and is home to the Barrington Yacht Club. It is also an easy commute to Providence.

This week on my radio show, I’ll be in the studio with Ian Barnacle and Steve Tetzner to discuss some proactive strategies for the Spring market. We will be joined by Jazzmine Napolitano, who will discuss a unique and affordable home in Barrington.

This four bed colonial is set on a private drive near  the much sought after Hundred Acre Cove and contains several unique extras. Built in 1967, this property sits back on park like grounds and has around 2972 square feet. The layout is very comfortable, with spacious rooms and beautiful hardwoods, and would be a great choice for someone looking for a property they can add to or improve. With a pool, hot tub and basketball court, this home is its own self contained sanctuary and owners will get to enjoy these unique benefits along with the amenities of the town, such as the bike path and the school system.

Jazzmine Napolitano is the founder of the Napolitano Team, which includes Terri Stevens and Allison Weygund. The team is dedicated to providing a stepped up effort in customer service, with the goal of making their clients feel comfortable and confident with their service. Recent additions to the Barrington Office, each member provides a unique twist to the marketing of homes.

This house will be open to the public on Sunday, March 6th from 12:00PM to 2:00PM.

We were fortunate enough to have with us this weekend the listing agent for a marvelous home in Barrington in the Lighthouse Point area. Caroline Butterfield is one of our great agents in our Barrington office. She knows the market well and has a beautiful comtemporary listing on Spinnaker Drive.

Here is what Caroline discussed.

“The property on Spinnaker Drive is a fantastic waterfront property with wonderful views of Narragansett Bay. Lighthouse Point is a wonderful area and this property is a pre-eminent spot.  Looking out at sunsets will be inspirational.

This uniquely built home includes an indoor pool, gym area, and sauna, enhancing the six bedrooms and six full bathrooms. It has a truly ambitious feel for any homeowner with the desired privacy expected in this price range.  However, it has an open floor plan with expansive windows looking out to the bay.

This part of Barrington is what everyone desires when they think of the area. The views of the water, the proximity to Providence, and the closeness to the amentities of the local community are what continually bring people to the town and persuade people to stay for the long term.

This property is priced very competitively for the area.”

Barrington has a great school system and is a wonderful year round community in close proximity to Providence and Newport. There are a good number of its residents who commute to Boston. It is a premier spot in Rhode Island.

Caroline Butterfield has been a top producing Realtor for Residential Properties and has worked with buyers and sellers throughout Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts since 1979. Real estate is her profession, but more than that, it is her passion.  As she puts if: “I love the product, the people and the happy ending when buyers and sellers goals are achieved.”

Well, you’ve spoken of the location, but what’s so great about the actual property?
Recently, this home was taken down to the studs and in some places, the foundation. So, the property is also a new construction. Most of the Barrington waterfront homes are older, so a newer construction is extremely rare. During renovations, this house was completely transformed and the final product we see today makes for comfortable living without having to sacrifice the classic design features!

How exactly was the property improved by this renovation?
Well to start off, the home has completely new plumbing, wiring and Kolbe windows & doors. This saves owners from the hassle of dealing with faulty and inefficient systems down the line. The kitchen was completely redone. With Viking stainless steel appliances, wood inset cabinets, Lazy Susan’s and Italian granite counter-tops, this room is basically a sanctuary for anyone who loves to cook. You will want to spend hours here, using your creativity to make dozens of delicious feasts. In addition to the kitchens new functionality and style, the room has also become more energy efficient, with LED under counter lights and up lighting.

What features and amenities stand out to you? (Other than the obvious Waterfront)
The Red Oak Hardwood floors and two piece crown molding help give this home a refined look. With special touches like the hand-painted European title fireplace, you can’t help but feel comfortable and elegant inside this home.

All 4 bedrooms have their own private bath. The master suite has his and her master baths AND closets. You’ll never have to fight for closet space again! There are also two decks on the second floor that have spectacular views of the Bay. Whether reading, working or just daydreaming, you will find solace in this beautiful and private spot.

Elizabeth Cournoyer has 5 years experience selling residential real estate, land and investment properties and is a PPS Historic House specialist.  She is a Barrington Resident, focusing her real estate endeavors in the East Bay area. Elizabeth enjoys history, reading, skiing, antiquing, theatre and spoiling her Portuguese water dog.

Catherine Moran has 7 years of experience selling real estate and specializes in the East Side of Providence, Newport and East Bay areas. A former Gallery Director in New York City, Catherine brings a passion and enthusiasm for space and design to her real estate career. She enjoys gardening, playing tennis and teaching Creative Writing and Art History at CCRI.

Barrington is near and dear to my heart, since it was my childhood home and where I started my real estate career. Vacant property in this community is very special, and waterfront property is becoming rare. To paraphrase Mark Twain, “Land, they are not making it anymore.” And this is one of the last lots on Adams Point.

Talking with Elizabeth about the property, she mentioned that the location is a serene and idyllic setting for a home looking out over Smith’s Cove. The sunsets are wonderful and you can spend hours relaxing while you watch the boats make their way out into Narragansett Bay. And since it is raw land ready for building, you have a clean slate for a design suitable to you.

Our COO, Libby Isaacson, placed third in her age group for the Shape Up RI half-marathon with a time of 1:54:25. (She makes a brief cameo in the video around the 39 second mark.) Joe Luca finished the Shape Up RI half-marathon with a time of 1:52:41 and Leslie Kellogg finished with a time of 1:56:06. Bethany Calitri finished the Harpoon 5k with a time of 33:24.

Here are the overall winners of each race. Scott Leslie from Rutland, MA was the male winner of the Cox Sports Marathon with a time of 2:35:45 and Jennifer Edelmann of Boston, MA was the female winner with a time of 3:01:02. For the Shape Up RI Half-Marathon, the male winner was Phil Reutlinger of Old Lyme, CT with a time of 1:12:36 and the female winner was Diana Davis of Providence, RI with a time of 1:25:59. Winners of the Harpoon 5k were Chris Magill of Cumberland, RI with a time of 16:45 and Michaela Driscoll of Coventry, RI with a time of 18:36.

Results of the 2010 race can be seen on the Rhode Races’ website. The weather was perfect at the start of the races with the temperature reaching 80 degrees later in the day. Seeing such a large turnout of runners, walkers and supporters was encouraging.