Submitted by James Waters
The Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink must be replaced quickly. Last week the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) rejected the proposed plan for this new rink. RTM members expressed broad support for a new rink but lamented that the proposed plan, budget, and project oversight fell far short of the community’s expectations.
It’s time for a fresh approach to get this project moving. Town leadership needs to get serious if they want to build a new rink.
Last week, as Chairman of the RTM’s Budget Overview Committee, I sent the Board of Selectmen a roadmap to get the project back on track. This roadmap leveraged my experience leading the Old Greenwich School Building Committee through all town approvals in 18 months.
The roadmap includes five critical components:
First, we must disband the current Rink User Committee and replace it with a Rink Building Committee that mirrors the composition, roles, and responsibilities of a School Building Committee. This is critical. The building committee would lead the project through completion and give it a much greater chance of getting done. It would be comprised of a team of volunteers with professional experience in managing large construction projects and gaining town approvals. It would include 7 residents as voting members with construction, finance, legal, land use, real estate, and public relations backgrounds, who would be nominated by the Board of Selectmen and approved by the RTM. Voting members would also include representatives of the Board of Estimate & Taxation (BET) and the Parks & Recreation Department. Other key town boards would have their usual ex-officio (non-voting) positions on the building committee to ensure alignment. This committee will need a fresh and objective leader, committed only to fleshing out the options.
Second, it includes $150,000 of funding for the building committee to bring the town a
recommendation on the right site and scope of the project by December 2025. The
recommendation must be clearly aligned with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). The committee should answer multiple unanswered questions and fully explore potential permanent and temporary sites. The funding would help them hire an architect and a cost estimator, conduct objective scientific surveys, hold public hearings, and incorporate everything into a recommended solution. Quarterly reports would be provided by the building committee to the RTM and other town bodies to ensure alignment.
Third, once the scope and site recommendations are finalized, the town would request architectural and engineering funding to design the building, get regular cost estimates, and obtain all necessary zoning approvals. This can be done within 18 months, or by the summer of 2027.
Fourth, construction funding could be provided in the town budget to start construction in summer/fall 2027. The budget would be determined in the previous steps by professional construction cost estimators, assuming approval by the BET and RTM.
Finally, construction would be expected to last for approximately 18 months, with a goal of completing the project in Winter/Spring 2029. This mirrors the construction timeline for the ongoing Central Middle School project.
This common-sense approach should be pursued with urgency. While the First Selectman’s initial instinct was to reaffirm support for the “flip” plan, others across town government provided positive feedback on the roadmap outlined above. I believe this new approach would gain widespread support – and more importantly would get this rink built.
This is a critical opportunity for leadership. The First Selectman can rise to the occasion to demonstrate the town’s commitment to getting this done and done right. The RTM and our community stands ready to support him.
James Waters is the Chairman of the RTM’s Budget Overview Committee and Chairman of the Old Greenwich School Building Committee. The views in this letter are his own.