Letter submitted to GFP and the RTM all 230-member email on Feb 87, 2026 from Alex Popp
Dear RTM Members,
As an RTM D4 representative and proud Byram Neighborhood Association (BNA) member, I am troubled by the Dorothy Hamill Rink “modified” flip plan. It faces a predictable RTM MI defeat later in the year. The Task Force (TF) should revisit its single-site recommendation and provide alternate options, thus avoiding costly project delays.
It’s worth noting that the BNA did not endorse this “build in Byram” plan, and the RTM D4 leadership and many of its members oppose it. The Byram RTM delegation believes districts should support another district’s interests. Sidewalks. Streets. Schools. Locals know what’s best for their community, and Byram has a long voting history of supporting that principle.
A vocal group of Byram parents representing a paper-thin segment of a narrow hockey community continues to cheer this 2.0 plan. Their cause, solidified in convenience and tradition, is weak and thin. Their rally cry misses the net. The appeal of their “copy, paste, send” email campaign is “build a rink for Byram.” But this is a Greenwich rink, a sheet of ice that should serve the needs of the greater community.
Over the past ten months, the TF’s site evaluation process was bumpy, often cracked. They overstepped their “charge” by rejecting alternative site options, and they failed to garner community support. It’s unimaginable that neighboring McKinney Terrace, home to seniors and disabled residents, and nearby Putnam Green had zero participation in the entire ten-month process. And the Byram Vets TF representative missed 16 meetings and was absent for the final vote, yet it was counted!
The TF’s conceptual site plan shared at the January 2026 meeting will face an abundance of PZ whistles. Red line challenges will center around Memorial Grove access, density, and traffic safety, as well as non-adherence to TOG parking regulations, entrance grade-level changes, and diminished emergency response time, as fire trucks can no longer easily access the SE corner of McKinney Terrace.
Byram is congested. Its urban forests continue to dwindle. The plan will result in the removal of dozens of Western Jr Highway trees. Yes, Byram is suffocating from all the nearby development. The four-story 52-unit Vinci Garden is scheduled to be built adjacent, a four-story 84-unit at 0 Comly Avenue is proposed, and Post Chester’s high-rise construction is endless.
This “2.0” flip overlooks safety. Traffic exiting down steep Sherman Avenue is prone to accidents. Just two weeks ago a dad driving his four-year-old daughter home from DH Rink plowed his SUV through a backyard fence. The alternate route happens to be residential Richland Road, and it has its own hazards: narrow, tight, and twisted. A challenge to navigate.
The TF slipped when it abandoned transparency. Critical support documents evaluating site options were never posted online. The conceptual site plan, missing in the final document and shared digitally with TF members just 15 minutes before the final Zoom vote, was never made available to the public.
Fellow RTM members, tighten your laces and don’t fall for misleading statements regarding bogus TF votes. They were taken before the ice was frozen, and continue to be echoed. For instance, town department heads corrected erroneous land usage definitions after TF votes were cast. As a result, a couple of central Greenwich site options were scratched from the lineup.
Additionally, the TF failed to recognize that the majority of Greenwich’s hockey community lives on the eastern side of town. At the annual Middle School Hockey Challenge, EMS frequently fields a second team to account for the large number of skaters. Also, the vast majority of families reside on the opposite side of Greenwich Avenue. Compare middle school enrollment: Together EMS and CMS are twice the student count as WMS. Driving to the rink, tucked away in a distant residential neighborhood, is an unnecessary burden on those east side families, especially when it’s dark and late at night.
The TF could have sharpened the appeal of their recommendation with the endorsement of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. However, no such luck. In an email, the Chamber Chairwoman wrote the following about the possibility of a downtown Exit 3 rink, “… it’s a win in my mind. Really the perfect spot especially when there are competitions/games and people are coming from other towns off the highway.”
Regarding cost, the TF neglected to report on fundraising efforts. The proposed plan is likely the highest total cost to the taxpayers of Greenwich, net of sponsorships and fundraising. $41.2M is reserved for this project in the 2026-2027 budget.
Finally, it would have been wise if the TF’s dish included a suggestion that players and families come on a full stomach. No joke. The rink plan offers unthinkable food options. Outdoor food trucks! That sends a chill up my spine, knowing that no local restaurants are nearby.
This flip plan will be challenged. It resembles the original Drake flip and casts the same shadow of concerns. But RTM members, let’s not be fooled. This proposed rink plan needs to be iced and a common-sense, centralized location recommended.
I appreciate your time and consideration,
Alex Popp, Byram