GREENWICH — Despite objections from some, members of Greenwich’s Representative Town Meeting overwhelmingly gave final approval to a new $41.2 million Dorothy Hamill ice skating rink. The project also calls for a complete redesign of Eugene Morlot Memorial Park, including relocating a baseball field, adding parking and creating a new entrance and exit. Following a lengthy and sometimes contentious debate on Monday, the proposal passed after a 159-32 vote, with 13 abstaining. While the majority of speakers supported the project, many of the critics argued the proposal should be rejected, citing a lack of transparency, impact to residents adjacent to the park, potential adverse impacts to open recreation space, and potential for costs to increase significantly. Proposals to build a new rink at the former teen center on Arch Street were reviewed and voted down twice by the Hamill rink task force, due largely to the property being in a flood zone, RTM Finance Committee Chairman Scott Kalb said. Many RTM committees, including the Finance Committee, voted unanimously to approve the project. In the case of the Finance Committee, “the committee did not see any material reasons to justify the rejection” of the proposal, Kalb said. Regarding transparency, First Selectman Fred Camillo said the Hamill rink task force had 38 public meetings and two public hearings, providing ample time for input. “There has not been a more transparent and more vetted project in the last 50 years than this rink,” he said. “This task force looked at every single possibility.”
Greenwich approves new $41.2 million Dorothy Hamill ice skating rink after years of debate
