Submitted by Beth MacGillivray, former RTM member, three terms
At some point, this stops being about a rink — and starts being about leadership, spending, and respect for taxpayers.
First, the facts.
The current “flip” proposal has been denied roughly half a dozen times over many years. Not once. Not twice. Repeatedly — by Planning & Zoning and by RTM representatives overwhelmingly.
Yet instead of adjusting course, the administration continues to push the same plan forward — holding up progress so that one specific vision can be forced into place.
And taxpayers are paying the price.
Camillo’s proposal is not a simple renovation. It is a whole sale reconstruction layered on top of a new rink project. It means reworking an entire neighborhood park, displacing the existing baseball field, pushing construction right up against the Veterans Memorial Tree Grove, carving a new access road off Western Junior Highway — and importing roughly 11,000 cubic yards of fill to regrade six-plus acres of land.
This is not efficiency. This is layered cost upon cost upon cost.
Meanwhile, there is a straightforward, proven alternative:
Renovate the Dorothy Hamill Rink within its existing footprint — and during construction, install a turnkey, temporary NHL-sized rink on a parking lot, field, or park elsewhere in town for $500K.
Multiple companies offer this solution.
It is fast.
It is flexible.
It is dramatically less expensive.
Most importantly — it keeps the skating community skating without disrupting memorial spaces or rewriting infrastructure.
So the question becomes unavoidable:
Why force a square peg into a round hole?
Why pursue the most expensive, disruptive option — when a simpler, smarter solution is readily available?
And now layer in the broader reality:
Camillo’s current budget includes a 4.6% tax increase.
At a time when residents are already feeling pressure, the town is being asked to absorb:
• Rising taxes
• A roughly $50 million rink project
• And a plan that expands scope instead of containing costs
This is not prudent stewardship. This is careless spending paired with stubborn decision-making.
Greenwich deserves better.
It deserves leadership that:
• Respects prior decisions
• Protects taxpayers
• Chooses cost-effective solutions
• And applies common sense before expanding scope
This is not complicated.
Renovate the rink where it stands.
Use a temporary solution during construction.
Preserve the town’s open spaces.
Control the costs.
Stop wasting taxpayer money.
Greenwich doesn’t need a grand experiment.
It needs disciplined leadership — and a plan that actually makes sense.
Beth MacGillivray
Former RTM member – 3 terms