RTM Approves Gift For New Civic Center, Anonymous Donor Revealed

GREENWICH, CT — The mystery donor has been revealed and the funds have been accepted, bringing a new Eastern Greenwich Civic Center closer to reality.

The Representative Town Meeting on Monday night approved a $5 million gift from the Steve and Alexandra Cohen Foundation to support the replacement and construction of the EGCC located at 90 Harding Road in Old Greenwich.

The monetary gift was approved with 164 voting in favor, 18 opposed and nine abstentions.

Earlier this month, First Selectman Fred Camillo announced that an anonymous donor had come forward as part of a public/private partnership with the town to help with the construction of the $21 million civic center. The current building had fallen into disrepair over the decades since the town acquired it in 1966, and a new building was proposed rather than a renovation.

Under the agreement with the Steve and Alexandra Cohen Foundation, the new civic center will be named the Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center. The foundation has agreed to pay the $5 million gift in four installment payments each year beginning on Feb. 15, 2022 and ending on Feb. 15, 2025.

(For renderings of the project, click here.)

The Cohens are Greenwich residents, and Steve Cohen is the chairman and CEO of Point72, an asset management company headquartered in Stamford. He is also the owner of the New York Mets baseball team, having just completed his first season at the helm in Queens.

The Steve and Alexandra Cohen foundation was started in 2001, and according to their website, has "given $625 million in gifts to organizations that improve children’s healthcare and education, serve the underserved, support the arts, protect the environment, and further Lyme and tickborne disease research."

Recently, the foundation donated $3 million for the new Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center in Stamford. The foundation has also donated to help Neighbor to Neighbor build new headquartersin Greenwich.

During his time in office, Camillo has championed public/private partnerships in order to supplement appropriate town projects. He said work on coming up with a partnership and donor had stretched as far back as a year-and-a-half.

Some RTM members, while they supported the gift, pushed back against the language of the agreement.

Members had concerns about the precedence associated with naming a facility after a private donor, and if the foundation would withdraw the money down the road.

According to the agreement:

"The Foundation shall not be required to make any installment payments if the approval and permitting process, or construction of the EGCC, is unreasonably delayed such that the feasibility of completion of the project is put in doubt. The Foundation shall not be required to make any installment payments if there is any controversy around the naming of the building in honor of the Cohens that reflects negatively on the Cohens or the Foundation."

Kip Burgweger, chairman of the RTM's Legislative and Rules Committee, said members were concerned about "ill-defined language" in the agreement. He also said the agreement has no term limit, and might be seen as a naming right granted in perpetuity.

The committee put forth a motion to postpone the agenda item until the next scheduled RTM meeting in December, which would be a "second read", to give Camillo time to work on the language.

Camillo objected.

"This is a donor that lives in town, this is a donor that has their name on public buildings. They've been vetted before," Camillo said, saying he'd normally practice caution and call for a second read. "This really sends a bad message I believe. Any town in America would be really honored and grateful for something like this."

Katherine LoBalbo, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee, said the town has accepted or acquired a number of land and civic building gifts in the past. Robert M. Bruce left 100 acres and his mansion to the town, which is now known as the Bruce Museum.

Henry Havemeyer, a sugar merchant, donated money for the creation of Old Greenwich School in 1902.

In 2001, the Bendheim family donated $2.5 million to facilitate the completion of the Western Greenwich Civic Center, now called the Bendheim Civic Center.

Ultimately, the motion to postpone failed by a fote of 53 in favor and 139 opposed.

RTM member Ed Dadakis praised the Cohens for their generosity.

"Quite frankly, we need more generous residents like Steve Cohen," he said.

Superintendent of Building Construction & Maintenance Alan Monelli said earlier this month he hopes the project can go out to bid in November, with construction beginning in early 2022.