Greenwich Couple Donates $500K For Naming Rights To Civic Center Gym

GREENWICH, CT — A local couple has donated $500,000 for naming rights to the gymnasium at the new Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center.

Former state Sen. L. Scott Frantz and his wife, Icy Frantz, donated the funds to the Greenwich Parks and Recreation Foundation, according to Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Daniel Carlson, who went before the Board of Selectmen last week to seek approval of the gift.

This donation is part of the foundation’s ongoing, multi-year fundraising campaign in support of
the new civic center, Carlson said.

Established in 2022, the town's naming rights policy outlines the approval process for such scenarios. The selectmen last week unanimously voted to approve the gift on the first reading in order to get the item before the Representative Town Meeting next month for final review and approval.

If and when the gift is ultimately approved, a plaque for the Frantz Gymnasium will be installed at the Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center. The Greenwich community celebrated the opening of the new civic center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in April.

L. Scott Frantz served as a Republican state senator in the 36th Senate District from 2009 to 2019, and is the owner of Haebler Capital, a private investment company in Greenwich.

Longtime Greenwich residents, the Frantzes have volunteered on numerous boards over the years, and have been prominent Republican fundraisers in town. They also helped bring the Arch Street Teen Center to fruition.

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"This is a great development. As always, we want to thank Scott and Icy for stepping up for the town. They just do a terrific job," said First Selectman Fred Camillo, a former colleague of L. Scott Frantz up in Hartford. "This one is more public, but a lot of it is quiet and people don't know half of the stuff they've done for the town."

Camillo also praised Scott Johnson who was instrumental in starting the Greenwich Parks and Recreation Foundation about 25 years ago.

The foundation was set up to receive donations, allowing the community citizens and businesses an avenue to donate to Greenwich Parks & Recreation projects and programs.

There are several other naming rights opportunities at the new civic center, including the large multi-purpose room, Camillo said.

The Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center was built on the same footprint as the old facility.

It's one-story and around 35,000-square feet, and includes a full-size multi-use gymnasium with roll-out spectator seating; 8,100 square feet of multi-use event space; tennis/pickleball courts; three 1,000-square-foot activity rooms; an outdoor patio; playground; and other amenities.

The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation donated $5 million toward the project as part of a public/private partnership.

Steve Cohen is the founder of Point72 asset management, a hedge fund company headquartered in Stamford. He and his wife Alexandra are Greenwich residents and also own the New York Mets.

The Greenwich RTM is expected to consider the Frantz donation during its June 9 meeting.