Four people testified during public comment at last Thursday’s meeting of the Greenwich Board of Education, each urging support of a proposal that was not on the agenda.
Vin DiMarco, Tom McGarrity, Garland Allen and Scott Frantz advocated for the installation of a plaque at the Hamilton Avenue School outdoor basketball court to honor Chickahominy resident David D’Andrea, who for years of taught youth on the court, year round, and in the process provided a team experience and lessons in sportsmanship.
D’Andrea’s coaching in the 1960s and 1970s was mostly on a volunteer basis, on his own time after school. He also volunteered to coach the St. Roch’s Church team, part of a Catholic league of about 5 teams. Later he received a $200 stipend to coach as part of the town’s Catholic middle school league.
Undated newspaper clipping with coach David D’Andrea pictured at right.
Last spring, the BOE Policy Committee briefly discussed the board’s naming rights policy at a meeting, but no official vote was taken.
Dr. Jones wrote to the BOE members in June, saying, “I first had a question from Fred Camillo about this issue in early May and I let him know it was a policy issue. As a result, the BOE Policy Committee briefly discussed the naming rights policy at a meeting. While no official vote was taken, it was believed that naming physical locations after the fact (already in existence) was not in accordance with BOE policy.”
“It would be setting precedent, so this discussion obviously needs careful consideration,” Jones added.
The BOE has a one-page policy titled Naming Facilities that says, “The naming of school buildings, major portions of buildings (e.g. media center, auditorium, gymnasium, field), or school grounds is the responsibility of the Greenwich Board of Education.”
It goes on to say, “It is the policy of the Board to name school buildings as close as possible to the time construction…”
That policy also talks about naming in tandem with donations, saying it is the intent of the Board that “naming of portions of the building and school grounds occur infrequently and on a limited basis.”
The policy ends with two paragraphs that mention donations, naming and plans for maintenance.
There is also a gift and bequest policy 3280 that addresses private funding for public schools. It acknowledges equity issues among district schools because some schools can raise money more easily than others. Each public school has an annual limit on the amount it can accept from organizations such as PTAs. Greenwich High School, because it is the only high school in the school district, does not have a gift restriction.
The Greenwich Athletic Foundation has donated funds for numerous projects at GHS but their name is not on any signage or plaque.
The GAF donated the state-of-the art scoreboard in Cardinal Stadium in 2018. The BOE voted to approve that $110,900 gift for the sign. They also donated funds for new GHS gymnasium bleachers with a $110,000 gift.
In 2021 when the GAF offered $1 million toward the Cardinal stadium project they requested a building committee be formed. Some people balked, including then BOE member Joe Kelly who led the stadium project, noting at the time that would slow the process. Ultimately the GAF withdrew the $1 million gift pledge.
At the time, then policy committee chair Christina Downey was quoted in Greenwich Time saying, “You have to be careful about changing policy for a specific set of circumstances.”
At Greenwich High School, the new secure vestibule project featured a “buy a brick” campaign with a limited number of inscribed bricks for tax deductible $300 donations handled through the GHS PTA.
The Board of Education has a separate policy from the Town, which has its own policy about naming rights that typically applies to new projects.
For example, the old Eastern Greenwich Civic Center was renamed Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center to reflect a $5 million donation from the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation to the Town of Greenwich. Those gifts must be approved by the RTM. That requirement became part of the town’s official Naming Rights Policy established in 2022.
Basketball Court Maintenance
In 2022, when the basketball court was resurfaced, the cost of work involved three partners: the Board of Education, Parks & Recreation, and the Chickahominy Reunion Association, which was headed by Mr. D’Andrea at the time and was the major funder, contributing $10,000. The BOE and Parks & Rec each contributed $5,000.
Vin DiMarco, who previously testified at the June BOE business meeting, spoke again last Thursday, asking the board to accept the gift of a permanent plaque mounted on the courtside stone, with the words “David D’Andrea Community Court.”
He said it was fitting as Mr. D’Andrea had been instrumental in the creation of that court, and securing the funds to maintain it when he led the Chickahominy Reunion Association.
The first team D’Andrea coached was at St. Roch’s Church, which was part of a church league.
Dave D’Andrea, former president of the Chickahominy Reunion Association, who paid for half of the cost of the court’s resurfacing in a public-private partnership with Parks & Rec and the Board of Education. Joe Siciliano and D’Andrea recalled growing up four doors apart on Hamilton Avenue and playing year round on the school’s basketball court, which was on the roof at the back of the original school. Oct 17, 2022 Photo: Leslie Yager
Scott Frantz, a former Republican State Senator, testified remotely to say, “He’s literally coached hundreds of kids, not just how to be great basketball players, but to be great team players and to be great people.”
Mr. Frantz said D’Andrea had been instrumental in building that outdoor basket court at Hamilton Avenue School, was instrumental in raising money to maintain it, and was willing to do that going forward.
Garland Allen, was coached by D’Andrea on the court as a youth, said he went on to play basketball in high school and college, and later became the Athletic Director and head basketball coach at Greenwich High School, where he ultimately hired D’Andrea to be an assistant coach.
“Some places shape us. They hold our stories, our beginnings, and lessons that never leave us. For many of us who grew up in Chickahominy, the outdoor basketball court at Hamilton Avenue Elementary School was one of those places.
Mr. Allen added, “When he learned that the court had been removed during the school’s expansion, he did not wait for others to act. He took it upon himself to raise the funds and lead the effort to bring it back.”
He added, “Naming the court in his honor would be more than a tribute. It would be a lesson for every child who steps onto that blacktop—that pride, loyalty, and leadership matter. That real success means remembering where you came from and lifting others as you rise.”
Tom McGarrity testified in person to support a dedication of the court to D’Andrea, describing athletics and its lessons as the “north star” for his personal and professional life.
“In 7th grade I tried out for my first organized basketball team and David D’Andrea was my first coach. He was demanding and he pushed me and my teammates to be the best basketball team we could be. We won the league that year,” McGarrity recalled. “What a wonderful lesson I learned that someone else could see in me what I couldn’t see in myself.”
Other than numerous letters submitted to the BOE and the four people testifying at the meeting on Thursday, there is no formal proposal for the plaque or its maintenance.
At the end of the BOE’s long business meeting on Thursday, just before voting to adjourn, the board talked about agenda planning. There was a disagreement about board policy on naming rights between policy chair Republican Dr. Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony and Democratic BOE chair Karen Hirsh.
Dr. Mercanti-Anthony said, “We should think about having a discussion item, if not an action item, on the board agenda, in keeping with our board policy around naming rights, directing the superintendent to form a committee to discuss naming rights at the basketball court at Hamilton Avenue School.”
Ms Hirsh said, “We already discussed this at the policy committee.”
Dr. Mercanti-Anthony said, “We have an existing policy. The board has to take action to appoint a committee.”
“Our policy is clear, we don’t name things that have already been around,” Hirsh said, adding that naming would be a policy discussion.
“I don’t think it’s a policy discussion,” Mercanti-Athony said.
“Naming is,” Hirsh said, “But we can have a discussion at the policy committee.”
End of year celebration on the basketball court at Hamilton Avenue School, 2024. Photo: Leslie Yager