Town Breaks Ground On New Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center

GREENWICH, CT — On Friday afternoon under bright blue skies, the town of Greenwich officially broke ground on the new Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center on Harding Road.

Demolition on the old building began in August, and all that's left now is a wide open space and mounds of dirt.

The new civic center will be built on the same footprint. It will be one-story and 35,418-square feet, and include a full-size multi-use gymnasium with roll-out spectator seating; 8,100 square feet of multi-use event space; three 1,000-square-foot activity rooms, two of which will share a partition that can be opened to create a larger room; and other amenities.

According to interim Greenwich Superintendent of Building Construction and Maintenance Luigi Romano, construction is scheduled to be completed by fall of 2023.

Several people spoke during the brief groundbreaking ceremony.

First Selectman Fred Camillo recalled playing in a recreational basketball league at the civic center in the 1980's, and there was even talk then about fixing the old building.

The original civic center was built in 1950 as an employee recreation center for Electrolux. The town acquired the building and the 13.22-acre site in 1966.

Greenwich began to develop plans for a building rehabilitation in 2000, but in the years that followed, issues with the facility began to crop up which required immediate repairs.

After exploring existing conditions of the concrete structure, other problems were investigated such as space utilization, functionality and accessibility.

The lack of thermal insulation and air conditioning throughout the building, as well as a deteriorating subterranean plumbing system, have been problems for years.

The town determined that a complete replacement made more sense.

"We all have memories here of what went on, whether it was a basketball league, Babe Ruth draft [for baseball], reunions, graduations, political conventions, you name it. This was a place that packed in many memories," Camillo said. "But the new civic center will have just as many great memories but in a much better venue."

Camillo called it a collaborative effort, and he thanked all those involved who helped make the new civic center come to fruition.

He especially thanked Steven and Alexandra Cohen, who donated $5 million last year as part of a naming rights deal for the project. Camillo, a noted New York Yankees fan, even donned a New York Mets hat for the special occasion Thursday.

Steven Cohen is a Greenwich resident and owner of the Mets. He's also the founder of Point72 asset management, a hedge fund company headquartered in Stamford.

Greenwich Parks and Recreation Director Joe Siciliano said it was just time for a new facility.

"We're happy about the features, we're excited about the building, and what could come out of this building in the future for programming and new assets to the community," he said.

Gary Dell'Abate, who served as co-chair on the Board of Greenwich Parks & Rec., and also as co-chair for the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center Committee, spoke briefly as well.

"I got on the board in 2011, and this was specifically why I wanted to get on the board. This project was my passion," Dell'Abate said, thanking those that came before him who tried to get a new civic center built.

Dell'Abate noted that his children grew up at the civic center, and he spent many hours coaching, shooting hoops and attending various events at the building. His wife, Mary, also taught art classes to young children at the EGCC.

"Our mantra through this whole thing was to create a multi-functional, multi-generational community center. After years of discussion, a little arguing, some compromising and inevitably coming together, I believe we've achieved that goal," Dell'Abate said.

"It's a very good day for the people of Greenwich."