When Tesorero set out a collection box in her front yard and put out a call for winter coats to help the underprivileged, the box was soon overflowing.
The first of Barrington's houses was built in the late 1980s, before the nearby Lorton area became developed and local schools began bursting at the seams. Barrington's middle and high school students are bused to Hayfield, 12 miles away. However, a new South County secondary school for 2,500 students is slated to open nearby in the fall of 2005.
BARRINGTON
BOUNDARIES: The community is a network of cul-de-sacs off of Braymore Circle; enter via Old Barrington Drive from Silverbrook Road just east of Route 123.
SCHOOLS: Silverbrook Elementary, Hayfield Middle and Hayfield High schools. (New secondary school to open in fall 2005.)
HOME SALES: In the past six months, 19 houses have sold from $600,000 to $850,000, according to Shirley Mills of Re/Max Choice in Fairfax. There are no houses now on the market.
WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE: Community swimming pool, Lake Mercer, Burke Lake Park, South Run recreation center.
WITHIN 15 MINUTES BY CAR: Interstate 95, grocery stories, drug store, restaurants, Occoquan
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Even though home construction was not completed until 1999, Barrington today has an established look. Paul Hietanen, out walking with his 6-year-old daughter, said, "The builders left a lot of trees. It looks mature from a landscaping point of view."
The large, executive-style houses have brick or stone fronts and two-story foyers. Nine years ago, front and rear stairwells and the openness in one home sold Howard and Margaret Boone on Barrington. Their kitchen provides visibility into the dining room, the two-story family room and on out to the deck, making for easy entertaining.
With eight grandchildren coming to visit throughout the summer and their membership in a progressive-dinner-party club, the Boones get a lot of use out of their space.
Although the neighborhood's four-bedroom houses are situated on quarter-acre lots, they don't appear to be on top of each other. Kathy and Troy Churchman's deck is rather close to their neighbors', but their house is angled to minimize the appearance of closeness. Avid gardeners, the Churchmans have made the most of their corner lot, planting 350 day lilies around their home -- all set to bloom in mid-July.
In warm weather, much of the community gathers at the pool, where more than 100 children are members of the Blue Fins swim team. Open to ages 5 to 18, the only requirement to be on the team is the ability to swim the length of the pool using any stroke -- even the dog paddle. Although the team has had several winning seasons, those involved say competition is not as important as encouraging each swimmer to have fun and reach a personal best. Annual team-sponsored whipped cream fights in the parking lot or wacky relay races in the pool are among the favorite social events.
Kenneth Reinshuttle, executive director of the Fairfax Education Association, helped start the swim team 11 years ago. "Kids have grown up through the team," he said. "They stayed to become lifeguards and coaches and went on to do well in high school and college. They're role models now. This was a good healthy place for them to be."
