Preliminary Rink Costs
Submitted by David C. Wold, Greenwich Resident and Veteran
I believe the 3rd, 4thd and
5th and multiple meeting minutes of the First Selectman’s Rink
User Committee “that encourage public participation” is the most telling
meetings of the First Selectman’s intention and BET member Bill Drake and DPW
execution of same. They are all there to read - as approved by majority
of the same committee. There is seemingly no effort to hide their intent.
There is no member of the First Selectman’s ADA committee, and no member of this
committee recorded as attending in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
2022 September meeting in Cone Room, again with no zoom. This is likely the
only meeting in which the Chair refers to questions emailed to the Committee –
minutes gives no details or answers. He later informs that is not his job to convey
questions from the public, place same on the agenda or make sure answers are
given.
To summarizes these early meetings in 2021:
1.
It takes place in Cone Room, likely the
only larger meeting room in Town Hall that does not provide Zoom.
2.
A) They are at 10am weekdays. Many have no
quorum, and it increases in numbers as we get closer to this Municipal
Improvement project being filed.
B)
Bill Drake and Legal Department basically shut down voting representation on
the committee from park users, baseball players, McKinney Terrace, RTM 3 and 4
and ‘others’ like the Tree Conservation.
C.
A schedule of meetings for Byram
Neighborhood Association, Byram Veterans Association, RTM and RTM 4 was set –
for August thru September 2021. Hardly any of these meeting took place and not
a single comment provided back to the Rink User Committee. After that it was
never on the agenda.
D.
Representation from the public early on in
2021: Mr. Nemetz (McKinney Terrace), Bill Kelly (RTM member and candidate for
FS), Syl Pecora (RTM D 3), Don Sylvester (RTM D 9), Karen and Alex Popp (RTM D
4), David Wold (RTM D 3), Clare Kilgallen (D 4), JoAnn Messina (Greenwich Tree
Conservancy), Joe Kantoriski (RTM and BNA) and Molly Saleeby (RTM D 8)
E.
Further meetings thru 2021 took place in
‘town hall meeting rooms’ with majority giving no zoom access at 10am and by
end of 2021 meetings started taking place at the rink with no Zoom and has an
ADA accessibility issue, that this committee should have addressed. (Once more,
no representation or attendance from FS ADA Committee. November meeting BNA Liz
Eckert voted against the SLAM plan of a Flip and BVA liaison Nic Macri from P
and Z (abstained) so it got voted 7-1.
F.
Rink project was communicated to Greenwich
Skating Club 250 members and their 3,000 email addresses. (I would
guess same was done the first day of SFA survey).
Public Comment from McKinney Terrace: they (current 51 units and 50 more to
come) would be affected by this new rink location. (They too would be affected
by the traffic in/out only 150ft from their bedroom and garbage trucks before 6am). Public Comment from Greenwich Place (RTM district 3) new location would affect
their 220 units (after all the building is about 150ft from their front door
and 150ft wide and 45feet
above their lowest units taking their afternoon summer sun (while rink is
closed and floodlights on during the winter 6am to 11pm and introducing garbage
trucks turning around
likely before opening).
G.
October meeting no zoom but very telling
as it issues the FAQ found on the Website: it deletes unanimously references to
input from the Byram Veterans to make the Memorial Grove more prominent and
beautiful. The FAQ refers to the project as being a replacement of the rink and
an opportunity to redesign the park of 13.4 acres to optimize each of the
elements. We know now the Rink User Committee reduced this First Selectman’s
mandate to only 6.6 acres ‘necessary’ for the rink new location.
2.
2022: January meeting Cone room, No Zoom
but 33 guests lots of questions.
February back on Zoom and rink replacement project pre-application at current
footprint.
March Zoom (public is at 5 members plus Ken Borsuk from Greenwich Time). Luigi
Romano gave brief description that a temporary rink would need to be 28,500 sq
ft (??) Sal Strazza field
was not considered as a location for temporary rink.
By June we are down to Cone Room and no zoom and just
a few attending from the public.
June meeting show a report by 2 high school students
that refers to GSC and their needs. GSC not mentioning their own plans to
purchase and build a new rink and provide zero hours available to the
community in Greenwich at their then 2 locations.
They would still insist via their members and friends on the Rink User
Committee to keep nearly 50% of the ice time for their members at ‘half the
cost of renters market’ – as they are a Greenwich club
for the Greenwich Community.
Reminder:
August 18, 2021, shows a spreadsheet provided that gives
an estimate of 3,750,000 for a temporary rink plus 450,000 for installation and
removal = 4,2 million for what ‘provider’ calls ‘mediocre’ rink (today
seemingly cost less than one million in 2024 money).
Who provided these estimate that members
of RTM district 3,4,8 and 9 plus McKinney Terrace brought back to their members
prior to the ‘famous’ survey?
Rink User Committee for Design and Planning Meeting July 21, 2021 Read
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