Plans For New Greenwich Ice Rink Resubmitted To Planning & Zoning - Patch

GREENWICH, CT —A preliminary site plan and a municipal improvement application for a new ice rink on the western side of town have been submitted to the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission.

The town is looking to build a new 40,671-square-foot rink with a regulation-sized ice surface and a gable roof centered over the ice.

Located at 1 Sue Merz Way in Byram, the current Dorothy Hamill Rink was built in 1972 essentially as a slab of ice. It was then built up in a piecemeal fashion which has led to disrepair over the years to the point that it needs to be replaced.

For several years, officials and rink committee members have worked to come up with solutions for a replacement.

The Greenwich Department of Public Works brought the project forward last year to P&Z, but officials decided to pursue Municipal Improvement status first, a vital step to secure appropriations.

In February, the Greenwich Board of Selectmen voted to recommend proposed plans to the P&Z Commission for MI status.

According to documents submitted to P&Z late last month, the new rink would be at the location of the current baseball field — Strazza Field — north of the existing Dorothy Hamill Rink.

The existing rink would remain operational throughout construction and demolished once the new facility is up and running. A new 90-foot baseball diamond would then be constructed.

A pedestrian walking path would be built around the baseball field and skating rink, submitted documents say, allowing "enhanced passive recreation" for the surrounding community.

"Users could navigate the path which would connect the various features at Eugene Morlot Memorial Park and will be built with accessible slopes," the project's narrative says.

Memorial trees in the park honoring Byram veterans who died in combat would not be disturbed, the documents note, and a new roundabout would "draw focus inwards" toward the trees and provide for increased queueing for skaters when dropping off/picking up from the rink.

Additional signage would be installed to identify the memorial tree grove and the location of the nearby Thomas Lyon House, the oldest unaltered colonial home in Greenwich.

Bleacher seating within the proposed new rink has been reduced from 600-plus to 498 to better match available parking at the site, documents say.

"The reconstruction of the new facility is not anticipated to result in any increase to traffic," a memo on proposed traffic conditions said. "Traffic to and from the new facility will not have a noticeable affect on traffic operations in the area."

The new rink would be fully ADA compliant, meet all building and life safety codes and be energy efficient and built to support solar panels.

As for the cost, no money is included in the FY 2024-2025 budget, but there is $980,000 slated for fiscal year 2026 for design and planning, and $23 million is forecast for fiscal year 2027 for construction.

Camillo, a big proponent of public/private partnerships, said in February the town has "an anchor donor ready to go" to help with funding, but there still needs to be approval from P&Z.

Under a public/private partnership, the rink could still be referred to as the Dorothy Hamill Rink, an homage to Hamill who is from Greenwich and won Olympic gold, but the building would be renamed.

An example Camillo has given in the past is where the Baltimore Orioles play: Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The applications have not yet been scheduled to go before the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission.

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