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RTM approves municipal improvement for Dorothy Hamill Rink after hours of contesting alternatives and neighborhood concerns
Summary
After three hours of debate and competing referrals, the RTM approved a municipal-improvement referral to redesign Morlo Park and replace the Dorothy Hamill Rink; opponents urged a two-rink Harborside alternative and warned of lost green space, while proponents and town staff said the selected plan responds to extensive outreach and is needed to unlock budgeted funds.
The RTM voted to approve a municipal-improvement (MI) referral that would allow the town to proceed with a comprehensive redesign of Eugene Morlo Memorial Park and the replacement of the Dorothy Hamill Rink.
The item generated sustained debate. Two groups of referers asked the RTM to reject or delay the MI. Peter Berg proposed a Harborside Arena two-rink alternative that he said would cost approximately $6 million less and avoid many neighborhood impacts; he called the task force process a ‘‘sham’’ for ignoring that alternative. Lucy von Brockl and other neighborhood proponents argued that the plan had failed to secure adequate neighborhood engagement, lacked full renderings and would require 11,000 cubic yards of fill, retaining walls, a new entrance road and a reconfiguration of parkland that would affect Memorial Grove and ball fields.
Town staff, the Hamill Rink Task Force and the planning-and-zoning commission defended the proposed design and the public process that produced it, noting extensive meetings, revisions and PNZ’s unanimous approval with conditions. Supporters said the redesign centralizes green space, improves emergency access, adds accessible parking near Veterans Grove and will create a modern year-round rink and park amenities.
Committee reports varied: Budget Overview Committee (BOC) and Finance recommended approval; some committees recorded no votes or abstentions where members were concerned about site impacts and process. After debate and questions, the RTM approved the MI by recorded vote: 159 in favor, 32 opposed, 13 abstaining. Supporters said passing the MI allows the project to advance to final design and PNZ site-plan review; rejecting it, they warned, would delay or derail a project that most committees and the Board of Selectmen have already endorsed.
