Submitted by James J O’Brien
To the Members of the BET and RTM,
As the Town of Greenwich moves forward with the essential task of replacing the Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink, we must distinguish between a plan of convenience and a plan of vision.
While everyone agrees the current facility has outlived its life cycle, the “Modified Flip” proposal in Eugene Morlot Memorial Park is a 20th-century solution to a 21st-century opportunity. Build the Harborside Recreation Hub at 100 Arch Street and renovate the existing Hamill rink as a low-impact neighborhood facility. I urge you to support the Harborside Recreation Hub at 100 Arch Street and said renovation as the superior alternative for our town’s fiscal and community health.
Part I: The Fiscal Reality – A Cost Comparison
The “Modified Flip” is not a simple replacement but is a massive civil engineering project with purportedly over a thousand tri-axle truck loads of fill. By contrast, the Harborside/Renovation protects our capital budget.
“The Modified Flip” – $40M-$45M, includes road, parking, relocation of the field (Town’s estimate).
“Harborside Hub + Hamill Renovation” – $25M-$30M + $5M-$8M (Gemini Estimate). And think about the savings from both cancelling our Selectperson’s Pocket Park, that no one will use, and not renovating the obsolete ex teen center.
● Infrastructure Savings: Harborside utilizes a centralized, town-owned footprint at 100 Arch Street. Unlike the Byram site, which requires massive earth-moving and the destruction/rebuilding of a regulation baseball diamond, the Harborside site leverages existing industrial footprints, Town truck depot and the obsolete ex teen center.
● Revenue Generation: Unlike a standalone rink in a residential park, the Harborside Hub is designed as a destination. With the proposed Harborside Grill and Oyster Bar, the facility transforms from a municipal drain into a revenue-generating asset that capitalizes on its proximity to the harbor and downtown commerce.
● Avoiding “Sunk Costs”: Investing tens of millions into a land-locked residential park provides zero opportunity for future expansion or commercial teamwork.
Part II: The Harborside “Greenwich Recreation Hub” and Byram Neighborhood renovated Rink
The Harborside Arena is not just a rink; it is the anchor of a new Greenwich Recreation Hub.
● Centralized Access: Located at Exit 3, this site is accessible to the entire town, not just one corner. A multi-million dollar new light system moves traffic through the area efficiently. It relieves the “neighborhood-only” burden and places the rink where it belongs: in our vibrant downtown corridor. Relieving the time lost for those having to drive to exit 4 from Eastern Greenwich on the congested I-95 as well as reducing pollution.
● Multi-Use Excellence: By utilizing a field-house design, the Harborside Hub can serve as a year-round venue for the Town Party, Concours d’Elegance, and indoor turf sports.
● Zoning & POCD Alignment: This plan aligns with the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) by concentrating high-traffic municipal services in commercial/industrial zones rather than encroaching on shrinking neighborhood green spaces.
● Two Ice Rinks at less cost
Part III: The “Mammoth Warehouse” – Negatives of the Byram Flip
The current proposal for Byram is a “mammoth” industrial-style structure that is fundamentally out of scale with a residential park.
● Park Desecration: The “Flip” places a 40,000+ square foot warehouse in the middle of a park, effectively bisecting the green space and dwarfing the historic Thomas Lyon House and the nearby affordable housing at McKinney Terrace.
● Traffic & Safety: Again funneling town-wide hockey traffic through the congested I-95 and narrow residential streets in Byram is both a massive loss of time for those from the eastern part of Town and a logistical nightmare for neighbors as well as a safety risk for local children.
● Disrespect to Veterans: Placing the rink’s entrance and mechanical systems adjacent to the Byram Veterans Memorial Tree Grove destroys the “serenity and reflection” that the site was intended to provide. Our veterans deserve a park, not a parking lot for a massive refrigeration unit.
Conclusion
We have one chance in 50 years to get this right. We can either drop a “mammoth warehouse” into a residential park, or we can build a world-class Harborside Recreation Hub that serves the whole town, respects our veterans, and protects the character of Byram.
I ask you to prioritize the Harborside concept for the future of Greenwich.