Open letter from Joe Rothenberg to the BET and RTM
At the recent BET public hearing on the First Selectman’s proposed budget, the Hamill Rink replacement project again drew strong public support. Thirteen residents spoke in favor of the project, many with their children present. Only two spoke in opposition – both long-time opponents. Five of the speakers supporting the project were Byram residents; only one Byram resident spoke against it. Dozens more submitted written comments in support, compared to only a handful in opposition.
That context helps explain why the discussion can feel repetitive. The same small group continues to recycle claims that have already been examined and addressed through years of study and public process. Unfortunately, several statements made at the hearing were factually incorrect and deserve clarification.
One of the two speakers against the project claimed that (1) Greenwich Skating Club (GSC) is Hamill’s largest user, (2) GSC took only 185 hours of ice time this season and (3) Wings Arena cost $10 million to build; each of those claims is plainly false and not credible on its face. Greenwich Cardinals Youth Hockey – a nonprofit serving Greenwich children – is Hamill’s largest user. As to the ice time number, based on ice-time records provided by Hamill Rink management, GSC is projected to use approximately 270 hours this season, while Cardinals Youth Hockey is projected for 370 hours. I don’t know where the $10 million figure for Wings Arena came from but based on conversations I’ve had (and experience in the real estate industry), I’m not sure how anyone could make that assertion in good faith.
Even if the incorrect 185-hour figure were accepted, the conclusion drawn from it still fails. A reduction in GSC usage does not change the fundamental reality that Hamill Rink is obsolete, undersized, and deteriorating – a point on which there is broad agreement. More importantly, the fact that GSC continues to use Hamill ice at all, whether 185 or 270 hours, despite having its own outdoor rink and being the anchor tenant at Wings Arena, underscores a simple, striking and incredibly impactful truth: there is not sufficient excess ice capacity elsewhere to absorb Greenwich High School hockey, Cardinals Youth Hockey, other skating and hockey programs and other uses, including the more than 380 hours Hamill provides annually for public skating and stick-and-puck.
The same speaker also claimed that the Hamill Rink Task Force did not study the availability of ice time at other rinks. That is untrue and also misconstrues the charge of the Task Force. The Task Force was not asked to re-establish rink need – that need has long been established. Families competing for limited after-school and weekend ice throughout Fairfield and Westchester Counties experience this shortage first-hand. It is simply laughable to think there are hundreds upon hundreds of hours available at rinks in other towns to allow our high school, youth and other community programs to continue to operate.
Public debate requires good-faith reliance on accurate information. Our community deserves a serious discussion grounded in facts – especially when the stakes involve our kids, our schools, and long-term public infrastructure.