Submitted by Joseph V. DeMarco, Riverside
I am writing to express my heartfelt and wholehearted support for the building of a new ice rink to replace the Hammill Rink. In a nutshell, the current rink has simply outlived its utility and the demand for hockey and figure skating — increasingly sports which are (1) multi-ethnic, (2) mixed-gender, and (3) multi-skill — manifestly warrants a facility which will match the vibrancy of our beloved Greenwich community. Along with a modern golf building at the Griff, and the new Byram Pool, bringing Greenwich’s ice rink into the modern era will truly make Greenwich a standout among communities in our region, and continue a tradition of excellence in public works here begun a century ago.
My son is a hockey player. Before he was born, I knew almost nothing about hockey. But when he entered the Town “House” program three years ago at the Hammill Rink, I came to know how many people were bitten by the hockey bug.
I was also impressed by how many young people were drawn to hockey – including to girls’ ice hockey which is exploding in popularity. This is, of course, testament to the dedication and excellence of the coaches who run the drills as well as the Town officials who support the program. The affordability of the Town program also impressed me, and it is wonderful to see so many Town residents of different economic backgrounds come together on the ice where all that matters is precision, skill, and speed, not what fashion one is wearing. Sadly, however, the current facility, which I understand was built as an outdoor rink and has much more limited use capabilities than the proposed rink will have, does not square with the level of dedication that the coaches, teams, skaters and staff put into these programs. How wonderful it would be to see a new facility built – one with “regulation” sized ice – that could serve as a springboard for even more programs for kids. In an age of social media and ubiquitous iPhones and an increasing awareness of their destructive influence, this is needed more than ever. Indeed, one of the best things about skating is that “when a kid is on the ice, they are not on their device!” If you want to get kids off their new phones, what better way than to get them into a new rink! And this can be done in a way which enhances and brings more attention and reverence to the veteran’s memorial grove.
The people who built our Town were visionaries – asking Robert Trent Jones to lay out a golf course while was working on Fairview next-door; buying Tod’s Point and Innis Arden cottage and turning them into a magnificent park, world-class beach, and learning center; and painstakingly preserving woods, trails, and hiking paths all over Town. It is my fervent belief and my steadfast hope is that our Town’s “visionary days” are not behind us.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph V. DeMarco, Riverside, CT