Barrington’s new village manager hails from St. Peter, Mo., a town that knows a little about growth. Over the last two decades, buildings were completed in the St. Louis suburb at a rate of about two per day.
But the last thing Barrington wants is someone to usher in that kind of fast-paced development, and that suits Robert R. Irvin just fine.
Yet Irvin’s vast experience in managing growth is expected to serve the village well in the coming years, as Barrington struggles to preserve its rural charm.
Irvin began work last week with a tour of Barrington, an affluent community known for its quiet streets, arching trees and historic homes.
For the last 18 years, Irvin served as St. Peter’s city administrator. Much of his adult life has been dedicated to learning the functions of local government.
“I was looking for a community closer to my roots rather than a `new’ town–something different from (the philosophy of) `let’s level the ground and build houses,’ ” Irvin said as he sat in his empty office at the 100-year-old Barrington Village Hall.
Irvin said Barrington reminds him of his hometown of Darlington, S.C., a small village with large Southern-style homes and massive trees.
After his father died when Irvin was 13, the local police department “adopted” him. By age 14, Irvin was a licensed radio operator, assisting the police dispatcher.
His spare time was spent hanging around the municipal offices, absorbing the operations of local government.
“I grew up in city hall,” Irvin recalled fondly. “I took an interest in everything that was going on, whether it was a new street being built or where the police were going.”
That curiosity led to a 27-year career in municipal government, where he gained a wealth of experience.
Irvin said Barrington is going through an exciting time in its history. A number of projects are in various stages of development, such as a proposed senior citizen’s community, St. Anne’s Catholic Church expansion, and construction of a new safety and public works facility and a new village hall.
Still, the pace in Barrington is much slower than in St. Peter, where growth has significantly shaped the community’s landscape.
In 1970, St. Peter had a population of less than 500. Its present population is estimated to be about 57,000, according to St. Peter village officials.
“I helped build a city from scratch and had a true variety of experiences,” Irvin said. “I’ve really grown to appreciate quality.”
One of the accomplishments Irvin is most proud of during his career in local government is construction of a $20 million sports facility in St. Peter.
Called the Recplex, the 124,000-square-foot recreational complex has an Olympic-size indoor pool, Olympic diving platforms, a recreational pool with adjustable floor, running track, climbing wall, food court, sauna, hot tub, aerobics rooms, weight room, ice skating arena and outdoor inline skating rink. The Recplex pulled the fast-growing community together quickly, Irvin said.
“That facility became the big focus of the community,” he said. “That was what they were most proud of and what they identified themselves with.”
Irvin said he sees a similar community commitment in Barrington, especially in the recently approved initiative to build a new public works and safety building and village hall.
One of his first duties was to tour the overcrowded village offices.
“You have people sitting on top of each other; you are so close you can hear the other guy change his mind,” he said.
Barrington is Irvin’s first encounter with a true northern climate, although not his first encounter with snow.
Two weeks after he started as a public works director in Florence, S.C., in the 1970s, the community was hit with about 6 inches of snow. It had no snow plows. Irvin arranged for neighboring towns to plow the streets, because the snow lingered for a full week–a long time for South Carolinians to have snow on the ground.
For many years, Barrington had a reputation as being a difficult nut for developers to crack. But Irvin said he thinks the situation has changed.
“The staff, the elected officials, are all pro-quality development,” he said. “The staff has taken steps to expedite the (village approval) process, without surrendering the village’s high standards.”
