Greenwich Community Sailing Will Not Return In 2022

GREENWICH, CT — At least for now, the relationship between Greenwich Community Sailing and the Town of Greenwich has ended.

GCS, which provides sailing and kayak rentals, along with private sailing lessons, had been operating out of Greenwich Point Park and the Chimes Building for the last 24 years. However, GCS will not reopen at the park for 2022 due to a leasing dispute with the town.

GCS is under the umbrella of Longshore Sailing School in Westport. In a statement on the GCS website, President Jane Pimentel called the closure "heartbreaking."

"Our relationship with the town has reached a point where we are no longer able to run a sustainable business," Pimentel said. "GCS’s main priority has alway been providing accessible boating experiences to our community, and we would have kept the doors open if it was at all feasible."

Pimentel told Patch that after she wrapped up the lease for 2021 this past April, she reached out to the town to let them know the timeframe to secure a new lease for 2022 had to be different.

For 2022, Pimentel wanted to upgrade the GCS fleet and equipment — a $250,000 investment, she said. With global supply chain issues, she wanted to secure a lease sooner rather than later. She also wanted more information on the status of the Chimes Building, where GCS stores equipment and operates out of.

The Chimes Building is scheduled to undergo renovations in fall 2022.

When a private business will utilize a town-owned facility, Greenwich uses the competitive bid process and sends out a Request For Proposal (RFP).

"I was told [an RFP would go out in] September, October. I said, 'Ok, in September we're already going to meet deadlines from manufacturers, in October that's our end date for ordering and such,'" Pimentel said, but nothing came.

"I waited until the second week of November, and we couldn't wait any longer. I couldn't in good faith make a $250,000 investment without the ability to guarantee amortization of that investment over multiple years," Pimentel said.

In the original RFP for the 2021 season, Pimentel said the town wanted to issue a multi-year contract.

"We couldn't in good faith invest at that point because they couldn't tell us if we were going to have a home or not. It would be the same this year," she said. "Essentially, I was waiting for an RFP and it didn't come. I had given warning about a timeframe, and our contact [with the town] just didn't think I was serious, I guess."

The Greenwich Parks & Recreation Department issued a statement shortly after Pimentel's announcement, and said they were "surprised" that GCS was closing down operations in Greenwich.

"The Department has had an active relationship with Longshore Sailing School Inc. since 2019 to maintain the Greenwich Community Sailing operation," the town said. Before 2019, GCS operated through a partnership with the Old Greenwich Yacht Club.

The town said Longshore Sailing was the "sole respondent" to the RFP that was sent out on Jan. 26, 2021 for the 2021 season.

Longshore Sailing requested a 65 percent rent reduction from the town’s minimum posted requirement per season. The town then negotiated a 50 percent rent reduction, from $15,000 for the full season to $7,500 for the full season, in exchange for removing the optional renewal years from the contract, the town said.

Longshore Sailing School Inc., executed the negotiated agreement in April 2021.

In the executed negotiated agreement, the town said, "There will likely be a period of time in which the Chimes Building and surrounding area will be closed for construction. The Town has limited control over the timing of this project. The Town will give reasonable notice to the Licensee regarding commencement of the construction.”

The town offered to move GCS to an alternate location at Greenwich Point if construction on the Chimes Building affected them.

"Greenwich Community Sailing’s season ended as planned on Sept. 30, 2021. On October 26, 2021, Parks & Recreation met with the private sponsors of the Chimes Building renovation to clarify a construction timeframe. The project will be in the regulatory land use and gift acceptance processes and construction is not anticipated to begin until fall 2022," the town added.

Parks and Recreation said they plan to publish an RFP by the end of this month "for a Sailing School and Boat Rental Operator" for 2022 and beyond.

They noted that the town prefers to secure a multi-year optional agreement, and plans to include the same commitment to find a temporary location to operate out of while the construction is underway on the Chimes Building.

"The Department’s intention is to have the agreement executed in January 2022 so that the vendor could plan well in advance for the 2022 season and work with the department for a temporary location for the 2023 season," the town said. "We still plan to publish the RFP this month and hope that all parties interested in this operation will submit a proposal."

Pimentel said she was "taken aback" by the town saying it was surprised by the GCS closure.

"I had directly communicated our timeline and timeframe needed for 2022. I'm not sure where the surprise is coming from," she said.

GCS employs about 40 people, and all but three this past year were Greenwich residents, according to Pimentel. GCS has served thousands of people, said Pimentel, who moved to Connecticut from Massachusetts in 2014 to be the General Manager of GCS. She took ownership of Longshore Sailing in 2017.

"It's really about the kids that go there [in Greenwich], and the staff that work there. For me, that's the most heartbreaking part," Pimentel said. "They look at themselves as a family. I feel like because of this timeframe issue, the family is kind of broken apart."

Longshore Sailing will still operate out of Westport for 2022; anyone who has taken programs with GCS in the past can continue on the same track there. Pimentel said she's giving Greenwich staff priority and first cracks at the application process for the next season.

As for the future, Pimentel hopes GCS can return to Greenwich at some point.

"For 2022 it can't happen. It's too late. I certainly hope that 2023 brings us back to the park. I don't know what it will look like, I don't know what the Chimes Building status will be," she said.