Community to RTM: Approve the Morlot Park/Hamill Rink Project

This letter was submitted to the RTM on behalf of the signatories listed below:

We write as representatives of organizations and constituencies that collectively serve thousands of Greenwich residents – youth athletes, families, students, veterans, neighborhood residents, and community volunteers – to respectfully urge you to approve Municipal Improvement status for the Morlot Park/Hamill Rink project.

The question before the RTM is whether this project is consistent with the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). The answer is clearly yes. The POCD is intended to guide improvements that strengthen our community. As the document itself explains, preserving community character and sense of place is "not intended to prohibit change," but to enable improvements that protect, preserve, and enhance what makes Greenwich special.

This project does exactly that.

For more than fifty years, Morlot Park has been home to a skating rink, a baseball field, a parking area, and the Memorial Grove. This project preserves those longstanding community uses while replacing aging facilities with safer, more accessible, and more functional versions.

But more importantly, community character is not just physical infrastructure. It is about the people who use it. It is the children who learn to skate and play hockey at Hamill. It is the families who gather at Morlot Park. It is the baseball players, veterans, volunteers, coaches, and residents who have made these facilities part of Greenwich life for generations.

Those are the people represented by the signatories to this letter. Throughout this process, they have spoken clearly. Residents have submitted hundreds of comments, attended meetings, and testified before the Hamill Rink Task Force, Planning & Zoning Commission, BET, and RTM. Youth sports organizations, PTAs, veterans, coaches, athletes, and families have repeatedly voiced their support.

The contrast is striking. Support for this project comes from a broad cross-section of the Greenwich community. Opposition comes primarily from the same small group of individuals who have opposed every version of the project for years. During the Planning & Zoning process alone, 37 of the 45 comments submitted in opposition came from just 5 individuals submitting multiple letters. Every voice deserves to be heard, but a handful of repeat commenters should not be mistaken for the community itself.

The community has spoken. We respectfully ask the RTM to approve Municipal Improvement status and allow this important community project to move forward.

Sincerely,

Eric LaRosee

Vice Chair, Byram Neighborhood Association

Johna Kalandranis

Byram Families for Hamill Rink

Michael Armstrong

Vice Commander, Byram Veterans Association; Hamill Rink Task Force

John Black

President, Byram Archibald Neighborhood Center Trust; Former President, BANC Raiders Football

Ali Cornelius Yantorno

President, Banksville Community House

Liz Rutledge

President, New Lebanon School PTA

Alice Gleason

Secretary, New Lebanon School PTA

Quentin Ball

Executive Committee, New Lebanon School PTA

Johnny Montañez

Director of Baseball Operations, OGRCC Baseball; Former Head Coach, Brunswick Baseball

Kyle Wirtz

Director of Health & Fitness, YWCA of Greenwich; OGRCC Baseball

Jeff Natale

President & Coach, Cos Cob Crushers Football; Coach, Greenwich Nationals Baseball

Seth Beardsley

President, BANC Raiders Football

Jack Duffy

Former Head Coach, Greenwich High School Boys’ Varsity Hockey

Joe Rothenberg

Board Member, Greenwich Cardinals Youth Hockey

Harry Schwefel

President, Greenwich Skating Club

Javier Aleman

RTM Energy Management Advisory Committee (EMAC); District 4; Hamill Rink Task Force

Seth Bacon

Secretary, RTM Budget Overview Committee (BOC); District 4

Steph Cowie

RTM ADA Advisory & Advocacy Committee (AAAC); District 8; Secretary, Hamill Rink Task Force