The Greenwich RTM voted to approve a $687,585,590 budget for the town. Of that number $92,100,000 was for capital project funds.
A high profile motion to reduce $40+ million funding for construction and design for the Hamill Rink modified flip in Morlot Park in Byram by $38,500,000, leaving only enough to fund design work failed.
The motion came from districts 9 and 10.
This past March, Greenwich’s P&Z commission approved the rink MI and the preliminary site plan (with conditions) for the modified flip, access road and ballfield.
Back in 2021 when the first “flip” was presented to Greenwich P&Z, the commission chair said it would involve an enormous amount of site disturbance.
The flip refers keeping the existing rink operating while building a new facility on the Sal Strazza baseball field adjacent to the existing rink to prevent lost ice time.
Once the new rink is completed, the old rink would be demolished to make space for a new, upgraded ballfield, effectively “flipping” the locations of the rink and ballfield.
The current proposal involves bringing in about 11,000 cubic yards of fill and creating retaining walls for the ballfield.
The P&Z commission has yet to approve the final site plan.
The vote to reduce was 54 to reduce, 144 to not reduce, and 5 abstentions.
The project will move forward with both design and construction funding.
Leading up to the vote, there were numerous speakers on both sides of the debate.
Tracy Freedman from the Parks & Rec board, said RTM oversight would not end with the vote on the motion, and would not set a new precedent for capital projects.
“Moving ahead with full funding is the most sensible and cost effective path. Many of the remaining questions, especially around final cost, can best be answered through the bidding process itself.”
“In this case, we need to tip the balance toward efficiency over additional oversight,” she said. “I believe approving full funding is a responsible path while still preserving RTM oversight at the appropriate time. This is good governance.”
Byram resident and RTM member Lucy von Brachel disagreed.
“Tonight we’re deciding whether to relinquish some of our control over the future of the project. I support the $2.7M A&E appropriation. My concern is with bundling in $38.5 million in construction funding before the design work is done and before we understand the cost.”
Ms von Brachel said the vast majority of Byram residents had not yet seen the new design and were unaware of how it would change the neighborhood.
“If costs run over, the project owners could revise the site plan to come in under budget, chipping away more green space, adjusting parking, maybe changing the footprint, getting rid of showers, who knows, without ever coming back to us. It would give me some comfort to know the RTM has a voice in those decisions. The RTM has maintained oversight on major capital projects by appropriating in three stages: Design funds to get through MI, Remaining A&E to get to final site plan approval, then go out to bid, and then construction. This is the first time we are asked to abandon that.”
Ms von Brachel said the only reasons to bundle construction and A&E would be in a genuine emergency or to meet a grant deadline, neither of which applied Monday night.
“We’re told we’ll have oversight through an interim appropriation, but design elements can be cut to stay under budget without coming back to us at all,” she added.
She said the message was that the MI vote next month would be the real signal of public support – “not whether we follow the process.”
Existing rink was built piecemeal over the years, first as an open air rink, in the southeast corner of Morlot Park.
Joe Rothenberg, a passionate proponent of the rink project, recalled how a year and a half earlier the RTM had voted against the rink flip.
“In that moment, many in this room and across town called for a better process. RTM members and others laid out a clear road map: start fresh, evaluate all the options, engage the public, obtain professional opinions, studies and cost estimates, and build consensus around a thoughtful long term plan. That is exactly what happened.”
“The task force was formed and did the work. Their recommendation then moved through the BOS, P&Z, and the BET – each step adding scrutiny, strengthening the plan and ultimately approving it unanimously,” Rothenberg said.
“At the same time, we had an election where one of the central issues was capital planning – moving away from the year-to-year, start and stop approach of the past, toward a disciplined long term process that helps projects like this actually get done.”
Rothenberg said the project was a “vetted, broadly supported plan that is ready to move forward.”
Jim Michel addressed suggestions that the $40+ million would not be enough for the project.
“In the event that we do not have adequate budget, that would come back before the BET and RTM. To say you will not have another chance to discuss this is an incorrect statement,” Mr. Michel said.
Former 22 year RTM member Peter Berg said 33 years earlier he appeared before the RTM to seek approval of an MI for the Cos Cob Library but the RTM voted no.
“We couldn’t come back the following year and try again just like the flip has come back do you. Instead we purchased residential property on Suburban Avenue and built a new Cos Cob Library back there. We found another way forward after the RTM denied MI, he said, adding that he is one of the co-authors of one of the MI referrals the RTM will hear in June.
“An MI referral is not an appeal. An MI referral is not a rebuke of P&Z,” he said. “Many of you are sick and tired of this rink matter and are ready to throw in the towel. Please stay tuned.”
“Separating A&E from construction is our standard operating procedure,” Berg said.
Anne Marie Kristoff supported the reduction.
“This was supposed to be a rink rebuild. Everyone agrees that we need a new rink. The task force identified Morlot Park as the only possible location. What we don’t understand is how it became a $30 million+ project to bulldoze and rebuilt the entire park,” Kristoff said. “This was never the original mission and these plans were never vetted with the public or surrounding neighborhood. Byram is the most densely populated area in town. We are already overwhelmed by traffic from the over-development of Port Chester.”
“The plan calls for trucking thousands of cubic yards of soil through narrow residential streets onto land that has still not been been properly soil tested,” she continued adding that the veterans memorial grove would be risk from foul balls and constant foot traffic.
“This is not protecting the memorial; it is disrespecting it. Finally, Morlot Park is one of the few calm spaces in Byram.”
During her Tuesday morning WGCH debrief, moderator pro tem Kate Lobalbo said, “They have not completed design documents. They have what I would call ‘a rough order of magnitude estimate.’ That means they are working off square footage costs, but they don’t have construction documents to estimate off of.”
LoBalbo noted the MI for the project will be considered at the June RTM meeting.
Allegra Dance Greenwich students in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. July 24, 2020 Photo: Leslie Yager
Roger Sherman Baldwin Park
There was only one budget reduction approved Monday night.
That was to decrease funding from $250,000 to $150,000 for changes to Roger Sherman Baldwin Park.
The motion came out of the Budget Overview Committee.
The motion to cut $100,000 passed: 136-61-4.
The overall idea of upgrades to this park is to increase its waterfront usage by removing the Parks & Trees building that blocks views of the harbor, and add walkways, landscaping and seating.
BOC chair James Waters said his committee had voted 12-0-0 to reduce the design funds for the project, noting the amendment would leave $150,000 in the budget to allow DPW to complete its analysis of the relocation of the Parks & Trees building.
He said removing the one story brick building was a necessary step prior to any other work in the park.
Waters said the amendment also noted that broader planning should reflect the future of the vacant teen center building, and that the Arch Street Task Force was studying that.
Along Arch Street (off I95 exit 3) left DPW Parks & Trees building sits with a harbor view. At right the former Teen Center Building is vacant and a task force has been launched to consider its future use if any. Photo: Leslie Yager
Vacant building previously housed the Teen Center at 100 Arch Street.
“It seems unclear at this point what the use of that town owned building would be, if renovated. It is clear that a renovation would be quite expensive and treated separate from any improvements to Roger Sherman Baldwin Park,” Waters said.
BOC members felt strongly it was not appropriate to proceed with design work at Roger Sherman before decisions are made regarding the future of the largest structure on the site – the former teen center building.”
The motion to cut $100,000 passed: 136-61-4.
Greenwich High School swimming pool.
Greenwich High School Swimming Pool
As for the pool project at Greenwich High School, a motion to reduce the design budget from about $4 million to about $2 million failed: 34 in favor of reduction, 154 against and 2 abstention.
The pool was originally constructed in 1968 as part of the main building’s construction.
Today it is in poor condition.
Cheryl Moss, chair of D8, where Mr. Dodson’s motion to reduce originated, shared her district’s report.
“Mr. Dodson felt section 99 of the town charter precludes funding more than is necessary to obtain MI approval. It was noted we had not received any prior indication from Mr. Dodson that he intended to make this motion – neither before the meeting as I requested of the district, or while there were 3 reps from the BOE available to answer questions.”
She said the vote in D8 was 6-5-8 with several members absent, and that the large number of abstentions reflected the lack of prior notice of the motion to cut funding meant they did not have time to study the issue.
Several current GHS swim team members spoke passionately about the project, as did Terry Lowe, who has been the coach of the swim and dive teams and previously was also the boys water polo team.
“The key to the incredible long term success of both the boys and girls teams in all three of these competitive activities is continuity,” Coach Lowe said. “In addition to the code concerns regarding the current facility, the greatest concern is the condition of the pool.”
He said if the pool were to fail would destroy the continuity of the competitive swim, die and water polo program and any cut to the design budget could delay the project by one or two years.
Phil Dodson from D8, who introduced the motion to reduce, said his motion to reduce had noting to do with stopping the project, but rather was about process.
“We all have heard about the pool and certainly want to address the issue but, I’m going to go through process. This is so misunderstood tonight. Before you can proceed with a project you have to obtain MI from P&Z,” he said, going on to refer to proper procedure per the Town Charter, section 99 provisions. “We should not be funding more than is necessary before obtaining MI approval.”
“This is totally misunderstood,” he said.
The school district’s chief finance officer Ben Branyan explained that the pool has serious safety and compliance issues, including a non compliant main drain system. Three of the four drains are not functioning. There are diving clearance violations, both overhead and within the pool itself. There is inadequate emergency access around the pool deck, environmental compliance problems and the mechanical and filtration systems are at the end of their life.
“It’s been said we’re on borrowed time,” Branyan said, adding that temporary mitigation had already been done, including installation of emergency shut off valves. He said the diving board had been made inaccessible.
“The pool could fail at any time,” he warned.
Branyan said to date, the ed specs were being developed using existing funds.
The formal process involves architects, engineers, coaches, administrators and community stakeholders, including James Waters.
Branyan said the BOE was anticipating approval of ed specs within the next two months, but without funding authorization, the project would lose momentum.
The pool project encompasses construction of new pool, tennis courts and secondary egress and Branyan said ($1.6 million / 41% of funding) would be needed to get to the MI approval stage, which requires preliminary site plan approval by P&Z. Upon release th balance would be used for A&E.
“Only the BET can release the $2.4 – we will have access to the $1.6,” he said. “This project requires a high degree of coordination, between soils, tennis courts, underground utilities, the driveway, CT DOT approvals, watercourse and high school operations.”
Mr. Waters said that after over a year as community rep to the pool feasibility committee for the project, the cut was “ill advised.”
“The cut saves nothing on property taxes. It does put pressure on the general fund without an interim appropriation. This is poor fiscal stewardship. If this delays the project a year, increasing risks and costs, as you’ve heard the pool is on the verge of failure and this heightens the risk of displacing hundreds of state championship student athletes indefinitely, without alternative,” he said. “Please vote no. Let’s not repeat our mistakes. Let’s support student athlete teams that have 147 state championships on the past 50 years.”