Submitted by Bill Drake
At its meeting on January 21 the Representative Town Meeting is expected to vote on the rink project Municipal Improvement designation. Four Byram residents are seeking to stop or modify this project.
Mr. Kantorski, Mr. Shehadi, Ms. Von Brachel, and Ms. Eckert, would you please accept our invitation to offer in writing your alternative plan for the rink replacement?
This project proposed by Greenwich’s Department of Public Works and the future managers of the ball field and rink, the town’s Department of Parks and Recreation has been under discussion for more than 7 years. As approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission, the project includes a larger and greener full size Sal Strazza baseball field, a pedestrian walking path around the entire park rink and ball field, a regulation size ice rink with no superfluous space (finally), permanent protection of the Byram Veterans Memorial Tree Grove and a traffic circle drop off area designed to bring visitors’ attention towards rather than away from the Tree Grove. The green space in the Park would not be decreased. The approved plan preserves all the skating activity scheduled at the Hamill Rink.
As written in Saturday’s Greenwich Free Press, “The need for a new rink is universally agreed.” (Byram Residents Appeal MI Status for Hamill Rink to the RTM Dec 27, 2024)
The plan approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission has overwhelming public support. In the independent survey of Greenwich, 84% of the 2,599 residents approved of this project. The Planning and Zoning Commission received 136 emails favoring the project and 8 emails against, an overwhelming 94% approval.
If you plan to disregard this overwhelming democratic support, would you please let the community know your alternative plan? You’re invited to provide your solution to Jack Duffy coach of Greenwich High boys hockey team which would be forced to play and practice in Stamford or Norwalk.
Please provide an alternative to skating school director Nancy Leamy for the 500 Greenwich children enrolled in the skating school at the Hamill rink which would be canceled. Please let the community know your alternative plan for the thousands of recreational skaters in public sessions which would all be cancelled for a season or two. Please contact these persons through the Rink Committee.
A responsible and thorough discussion of the rink project by the RTM should involve an examination of your alternative plan, Mr. Kantorski, Mr. Shehadi, Ms. Von Brachel, and Ms. Eckert.
We look forward to reading your response. Your alternative plan will enable a productive discussion of this project in the new year.
Bill Drake, Chairman Rink User Committee for Design and Planning, and member of the Board of Estimate and Taxation 2013-2023.