Open letter submitted to the RTM by Joe Rothenberg
I’d like to start by noting that I’ve never used anyone’s name or responded to anyone personally in any of my public statements about the rink project, and I’m only doing that now because on Friday, Peter Berg published a letter in the Greenwich Free Press (and then later delivered that letter to the RTM) (Berg: Rink Can Be Built “Harborside” May 1, 2026) calling something I’d written “hogwash.” I’m loathe to do this, but I’ll respond. I’m only going to make two quick points, I’m not going to get into a public back-and-forth with Mr. Berg about the details of his (rejected) proposal.
First, this is the statement that he called “hogwash” in his public letter:
“Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, which was considered and rejected (by both the Task Force and the Board of Selectmen) multiple times due to coastal risks, safety concerns for kids, parking constraints, and enormous cost.”
That’s it, that’s the entirety of what got him so upset. I find that pretty surprising for a few reasons, not least of which is that it’s a 100% factual statement. Mr. Berg’s proposal WAS considered and rejected (by both the Task Force and the Board of Selectmen) multiple times due to, among other things, coastal risks, safety concerns for kids, parking constraints and cost. That’s objective fact, in the public record. It happened.
Second, I just want to point out the different approaches certain people have taken to this project and process, and why that matters. Mr. Berg has been advocating for his proposal at the Arch Street Teen Center site – and his proposal only – from the beginning. This isn’t hearsay, I have an email from him from a year ago – May 6, 2025 – asking to meet with me (as a representative of Cardinals Youth Hockey) so he could show me his proposal for the Arch Street site, and he had already prepared written advocacy materials. Mr. Berg has never deviated from his advocacy for that one particular site and proposal, that’s been his sole purpose and goal. I, on the other hand, have a different agenda, which is to see that my kids and all kids in Greenwich maintain access to ice time in a safe, modern facility, and I don’t care if that facility is located on Arch Street, in Byram, or any other location. I never publicly advocated for any specific location or project until very late in the Task Force process, when it had become clear that the plan proposed by the Task Force in Morlot Park would be the most realistic, affordable, efficient and effective way to accomplish our goals for our kids. I – and others who support the project now before the RTM – simply want our town to replace Hamill Rink with a safe, modern facility in a way that’s best for our kids, while certain other people seem to only care about putting this project in their preferred location for their own reasons (while telling us they know better what’s best for our kids than we do), and I think that’s a very illustrative difference between the two approaches.
Early last year we, as a town, went back to the drawing board, and we asked the Task Force to publicly, transparently and comprehensively study all available options and present their recommendation. They did that – they evaluated every available site over the course of almost a year, consulted with stakeholder groups and professionals, obtained professional cost estimates and made their recommendation to the town, by an 8-1 vote by the Task Force. Along the way, they eliminated Mr. Berg’s proposed site twice, and the Board of Selectmen later affirmed that they also do not, and will not, support building a new rink at that location. The Task Force’s recommendation for the Morlot Park project was then unanimously approved by the Board of Selectmen 3-0, MI status was granted by P&Z unanimously in a 5-0 vote, and the project budget was then unanimously approved by the BET in a 12-0 vote. Those are facts, not “hogwash”.
And that brings us to today – the project recommended by the Task Force, with extremely broad public support and the clear support of the Board of Selectmen and every other governmental body which has examined it – is now before the RTM. Not Mr. Berg’s (or any other) rejected proposal.
We can’t allow ourselves – and our kids – to be held-up by a small number of people who can’t accept that.
I respectfully ask the RTM and our town to respect the work that has been done and listen to the strong, broad, widespread support for this project, and move the project forward without further delay.