At Wednesday’s Hamill Rink Task force public hearing residents voiced opinions about specific locations they’d like to see the new rink.
Several hockey parents urged the task force to come up with a plan that prevented loss of ice time and preserved skating programs, while others urged prioritizing preserving trees, green space and waterfront.
One resident suggested using the rink opportunity to combine it with other projects that are waiting in the wings such as the reimagining of Holly Hill.
One person urged locating a new rink on Havemeyer field.
Peter Berg urged the task force to locate the rink on the footprint of the teen center building, formerly a factory, at 100 Arch Street.
Task force chair Matt DesChamps, who is a member of the BET, said the task force had received valuable comments through their website and benefited from robust attendance at their weekly meetings.
“From the beginning, public participation and transparency have been at the heart of our work,” he said.
Task force members: chair Matt DesChamps, vice chair Kat Ashworth representing the RTM, secretary Steph Cowie who represents the ADA advisory committee, Megan Cutler from the Byram Neighborhood Association, Javier Aleman representing EMAC, Michael Armstrong from the Byram Veterans, and both Ed Fuss and Christina Schwefel representing the First Selectman’s office.
“Our primary objective is to independently evaluate siting options for replacing the Hamill Rink. This includes green space at the chosen location and energy, to align with the town’s POCD.”
Considerations for evaluation include listening to the public and key stakeholders, ADA compliance, cost and location of a temporary rink, analysis of costs and potential revenue sources, “innovative concepts,” and potential improvements to work already done.
The task force drafted a project plan using SMART methodology, which stands for (specific measurable achievable relevant and time bound).
They also created a REM (rink evaluation matrix) that includes 8 site options the town has previously considered. Those are being reviewed.
They will also evaluate locations based on suggestions submitted from the feedback form and ideas from Wednesday night’s hearing.
8 site options the town has previously considered:
•Christiano Park
•Cohen Civic Center
• Morlot Park in Byram (existing rink is located in the southwest corner of this park)
• Havemeyer Field
• Horseneck parking lot
• Island Beach parking lot
• Roger Sherman Baldwin Park
“Harborside Arena”
Peter Berg, former 12-year RTM Land Use committee chair, described a vision for “Harborside Arena” at 100 Arch Street, known as the teen center.
Specifically he suggested using the footprint of the former 1912 factory building and the garages surrounding it to create “Harborside Arena” including a new rink, a Harborside Café and mezzanine level Harborside Grill overlooking the rink, but also with views onto the harbor from one side and views of the lawn at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park from the other side.
He said advantages included that it would be ADA compliant, ideally suited for solar and for heat pumps, and would not sacrifice green space.
“In fact when the rink is turfed, green space at Baldwin Park increases. Harborside Arena can serve as a field house, and can host events at the Town Party and Concours d’Elegance,” he continued, adding his belief that that the P&Z commission could grant it MI status because based on consistency with the goals of the POCD.
“If desired P&Z can save the facade of the old factory as it did at the new Greenwich fire house,” Berg said. “There are no residential neighbors nearby who can delay this Municipal Improvement.”
Joe Rothenberg asked that the task force not to build on the existing Hamill Rink footprint without providing a temporary rink elsewhere. He warned that would result in the end of hockey programs including at Greenwich High School.
He said if a temporary rink was pursued it should have locker rooms and real weather protection – “not just a tent with ice.”
Rothenberg recommended building a new rink in Christiano Field, which he described as flat, easily accessible, not in a flood zone, and adjacent to commercial roads.
Further he said it would not require tearing down a building, having people drive through a residential neighborhood or require children to cross a busy street to get to.
“It checks every box,” he said. “That site doesn’t require any expensive site work. It’s a simple, big site just sitting there waiting for us to build on it.”
Lucy von Brachel urged the task force to think outside of the box.
“If there are two big projects, two needs, projects being deferred, could we combine them together?” she asked. “There’s the First Selectman’s plan for Roger Sherman Baldwin, fortifying Grass Island, the Holly Hill Master plan, downtown parking and more.”
She said that while Christiano Field was surrounded by a densely populated neighborhood, Holly Hill is expansive at 27-acres and it already needs to be reimagined.
She said the southern end of Holly Hill was underutilized, and has trees as buffers for light and noise for surrounding neighbors, of which there are few.
“The industrial location lends itself to a less expensive design. There’s plenty of room for parking and plenty of room for the Parks & Rec garages that would open up Baldwin Park.”
However, she noted a major obstacle would be remediation. (The town operated an incinerator for decades at Holly Hill and contaminated soil has been located nearby at Western Middle School.)
“If Morlot Park proves to be the only solution, I ask you to do everything in your power to build it in its current location,” von Brachel said, adding that she supported building a temporary rink.
First Selectman Fred Camillo said he still supported the “flip,” but locating a new rink in the Island Beach Parking Lot could free up the existing Hamill Rink to potentially be used as a field house.
Greenwich Tree Conservancy director Kate Dzikiewicz urged the task force to add tree preservation to the decision matrix.
She said the proposed “flip” in Morlot Park would impact the character and health of the park, which in addition to providing a home to the rink is used by neighbors for outdoor recreation, by children and families at the baseball field, by seniors in the adjacent facility and by , veterans and their families visiting the memorial grove of trees.
“It was especially troubling to see that the previously proposed flip of the rink layout was encroaching on this veterans grove. construction near trees, even when precautions are taken, can threaten their health and placing a large structure directly beside the grove would irreversibly alter its character and sense of reverence.”
She said in considering other locations impact on the environment and mature trees in particular should be considered.
“As Greenwich continues to develop, we lose more and more of our mature trees that take decades to grow, offer numerous benefits, including managing storm water, filtering the air, improving public health, cooling urban spaces and imparting a sense of beauty to a landscape.”
James Walsh from district 2 urged the task force to strongly consider selecting one of the two parking lot locations for the rink rather than in a park.
“Today’s ice rinks are almost industrial/commercial structures that don’t really belong in our neighborhood parks,” Walsh said. “Locating the rink in one of the two parking lots enables the current rink to remain open but also preserve precious green space in our neighborhoods and along the waterfront.”
At the close of the hour-long hearing Mr. DesChamps said the task force’s next steps were to discuss feedback and combine it with feedback from public forms submitted to website, feedback from major rink users and RTM committee chairs who took up the Municipal Improvement “flip.”
Finally, DesChamps said the committee had a responsibility to understand the costs associated with the project.
“There have been estimates of what the cost of the rink will be. We as a group have decided not to rely on those numbers. We want to make sure we have a good understanding of the cost. That number has moved around. It is my responsibility to put forward a number that we have confidence in.”
He said some of the new siting options to consider included innovative concepts, some of which were brought up during the hearing.