Wednesday’s Hamill Rink User Committee meeting was in person and the agenda featured consideration and vote on a site for a temporary, seasonal rink.
The meeting was chaired by Bill Drake and attended by Luigi Romano, who took over from former superintendent of building construction and maintenance, Al Monelli, to usher the application through town departments.
The goal of a temporary rink is to prevent loss of one or more skating seasons while the existing rink is demolished and built anew in Byram.
The back story is long and fraught, but suffice it to say that in December 2021, a pre-application went before P&Z proposing to build a new rink in the middle of Eugene Morlot park, effectively cutting in half the green spaced used by the neighborhood for passive recreation.
The pre-applicaiton included a new access road off Western Jr Hwy so cars wouldn’t have to enter from the residential side of the park via Sue Merz Way up a steep hill.
During public comment most people said they wanted a plan that did not cut the green space in half.
P&Z chair Margarita Alban noted that extensive re-grading of the parkland would disturb the entire property, removing vegetation, trees and plantings. She suggested to the applicant return with a new pre-application.
Since then the plan has been to build a new rink on the existing footprint of Hamill Rink.
During Wednesday’s rink user committee meeting there was disagreement about whether to make a recommendation on a location for a temporary rink at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, though the committee all seemed to favor that location.
Some said a vote was premature, considering a $35,000 public survey is being drafted by a vendor, and will include opportunity for feedback on a potential location for a temporary rink.
First Selectman Fred Camillo attended briefly, but long enough to say, “The survey isn’t back yet. I support a temporary rink over at Roger Sherman, but without having a survey back, we open ourselves up, and the public may say, ‘What did you send a survey out for?'”
The survey will tentatively go out at the end of next week. It will cover the use of Hamill rink, a new possible access road via Western Jr Hwy, and the location and features of a temporary rink.
Mr. Romano said that the online survey was being prepared by Sports Facilities Advisory of Clearwater, FL, who will tabulate and analyze the resident feedback and provide a public report by year end. SFA is also expected to provide a study of the relevant market for ice time at rinks in our area.
“I guess if we say it is a recommendation, but make sure you put out there that we’re going to pay attention to what the public has to say on this…This way it doesn’t look like the town just says, ‘We’re going to do what we’re going to do.’ They may have another idea,” Camillo said.
“If that’s the case, then let’s wait to hear from the public,” said committee member Mike Bocchino. “Why put our vote or recommendation before we put out the survey?”
Several people agreed with Mr. Bocchino including Sue Snyder, Nick Macri, and Liz Eckert.
Other members said that the committee had already considered multiple locations for 10 months and their informed recommendation would be useful to the public.
“These 12 people were designated for their knowledge and expertise, so we’re asking your opinion. We’ve dug into this for 10 months with the assistance of technical people,” Mr. Drake said.
Another location discussed for a possible temporary rink was Strazza field next to the existing Hamill rink. It currently used by Western Middle School students who have not had use of their school’s fields due to contamination for many years. The committee said that primary drawback of that location right next to construction of Hamill on its existing footprint was its limited parking.
Mr. Drake talked about issues with the budget cycle for both the rink and temporary rink, and wondered if plans for a temporary rink would set the project back a year.
During public comment there were remarks from Lucia Jansen, chair of the RTM Budget Overview Committee, as well as BET members Karen Fassuliotis and Miriam Kreuzer.
Ms Kreuzer asked about the timeline of the skating season including installation and disassembly of a temporary rink.
“Could it be a total of 10 months out of 12 months that Roger Sherman would have rink activity?” she asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Romano replied, adding that installation and disassembly would add between 6 and 8 weeks on either side of the skating season, which runs September through March.
Ms Fassuliotis asked about conflicts with events in the park.
She mentioned Adopt A Dog’s Puttin’ On the Dog event.
Sue Snyder from Parks & Rec said summer concerts and the ferry operation were also potential conflicts.
Ms Jansen noted the park was in a flood zone.
She said the RTM was supportive of the rink project, but wanted to know about the scope, cost and timeline of the Hamill Rink before funding a second, temporary rink.
“Even if we move forward with the second ice rink, we want to know what are we getting with the first. We’re perplexed why we continue to not be heard by this committee,” she said.
Ms Jansen said the rink committee had the funds to apply for MI.
“You needed no more funds for A&E construction,” Jansen continued. “And the way it works is the charter, section 99, you are to get no more funds until you get MI approval. Once you get the MI, then you go to the BET and ask for the A&E construction drawings. “
“It is putting the cart before the horse if you now put a capital worksheet asking for A&E drawings when you do not have your MI.”
“Maybe (the MI) it won’t go into detail on the cost, but certainly it will include detail on the scope,” Jansen added.
She said the BOC had met with Mr. Drake and Mr. Monelli and asked for deliverables.
“We on the RTM who support this project are frustrated with the lack of progress,” she said.
Mr. Drake said there was a difference of opinion. “I guess we have a different view on what is the cart and what is the horse. In my view the horse is the temporary rink. It must be up and operating before the rink comes down, and your committee has a different view.”
Jansen said the BOC had voted to reject the study for a second rink.
“Somehow you found funds in another way,” she said.
“It’s not fair to this committee,” Jansen said. “If you have a discussion on the agenda item that you are going to put a capital worksheet for a second ice rink, and we voted on this last May. This will be the third fiscal year. This will be the third rejection, because you are probably going to get another rejection if you do not have MI for the first Hamill Rink. This delay is not fair to the community that wanted this Hamill Rink.”
“I think where the disconnect is that…we’d first like to know what is the scope of the Hamill Rink. We can’t plan for the Hamill Rink if we don’t know the scope,” Jansen said. “The estimated costs…so we can make a decision whether we want to continue along those lines before a temporary rink can be built.”
“Bill (Drake) is feeling you have to build the temporary rink first and then we worry about the cost and expenses of the Hamill Rink,” Ms Fassuliotis said. “What if the BET or RTM comes back and says (the amount) is too much for a spanking new Hamill Rink, so we’re not going to go forward, but now we have a temporary rink.”
Fassuliotis said the latest information she had was that the rink would be back on its original footprint, and there may or may not be an access road, and it may or not be open 12 months out of the year instead of six.
“What’s the back of the envelope cost going to be?” Fassuliotis asked.
She noted that while there might be money coming from a public private partnership, the full amount had to be allocated up front and put into the budget cycle.
“Right now we have a $70 million Central Middle School project. Capital is going to be tight. We have to understand in the five year plan where this is in the queue.”
There was much talk about horses and carts, chickens and eggs.
Committee member Nick Macri, who is a member of the P&Z commission, said currently there was a pre-application pending before P&Z.
“We have to add in the temporary rink as a part of the project,” Macri said. “We have to get back to the pre-application to P&Z.”
“It’s not cart before the horse. It’s one big cart,” Macri said.
Ultimately, a motion to recommend Roger Sherman Baldwin Park as the location for a temporary rink was withdrawn.
In the end, a new motion was made and unanimously approved as follows:
The Committee recommends to the Building Construction and Management Department to withdraw the previous pre-application (to P&Z) and create a new pre-application which focuses on the Hamill Rink and includes the need for a temporary rink.