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Board refers Hamill rink municipal improvement to planning and zoning after task‑force review
Summary
After nearly a year of task‑force work and roughly 30 public meetings, the Board of Selectmen voted to refer the Hamill skating‑rink municipal improvement to planning and zoning; the plan moves the rink and ballfield in Morlock Park to expand green space and reduce impacts on the memorial grove.
The Board of Selectmen voted on Feb. 12 to refer a municipal improvement (MI) application for the Hamill skating rink project to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further review and public hearings.
Luigi Romano of Public Works told the board the task force conducted about 30 public meetings and worked to find a site layout that preserved the memorial grove, increased contiguous green space, improved sight lines and created better traffic access by shifting parking and access toward Western Junior. "The task force has worked through the process of re‑evaluating the siting location of the skating rink within town to determine the most appropriate location," Romano said. The revised plan rotates the building and relocates the ballfield so the park's core becomes a larger green field with hardscape and parking pushed to the east toward Western Junior.
The design team said the new layout would provide a larger buffer between construction and the memorial grove, better viewing areas for residents and opportunities for landscape enhancements including pollinator pathways, signage for the memorial grove and potential renewable‑energy measures such as solar or geothermal to reduce rink energy use. Romano also noted an anchor donor has come forward and that naming opportunities exist to reduce taxpayer cost.
Selectpersons emphasized continued public outreach and the need for planning and zoning and the RTM to review site details, access and any required gift acceptances. "This is an ongoing project with more public hearings and additional review by Planning and Zoning and the RTM," Romano said. The board moved to refer the MI to planning and zoning (motion by Lauren Raven; seconded by Rachel Khan) and recorded a unanimous vote of support among the three selectpersons present.
Next steps: Planning and Zoning will place the MI referral on its agenda for hearings and technical review; the RTM will have further opportunities to review funding/gift acceptances if needed.
