Selectmen Vote On Adding George H.W. Bush Statue To Greenwich Avenue

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted two in favor with one abstention to approve plans to add a statue of George H.W. Bush to Greenwich Avenue in front of the Havemeyer Building.

First Selectman Fred Camillo and Selectwoman Lauren Rabin voted in favor, but Selectwoman Rachel Khanna, a newcomer to the board, abstained, citing a desire to see a design of the statue and hear more public comment first.

The plans will move to the Greenwich Historic District Commission (HDC) again for approval once a sculptor is chosen and the design comes into focus, and then it will go to the Representative Town Meeting which will have to approve a gift of the statue to the town.

Camillo said he hopes to get the proposal in front of the RTM for its Jan. 20 meeting.

A donor has been lined up for the statue for over a year. Greenwich resident and former state Sen. L. Scott Frantz last year offered to cover statue costs.

The plans were already approved on Dec. 9 by the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission, and did not need to return to the Board of Selectmen for consideration. The proposal was also reviewed and given the green light from the Greenwich Historic District Commission (HDC).

However, First Selectman Fred Camillo said he felt it would be "a symbolic gesture" for the selectmen to weigh in, notably because the idea for the statue was borne out of the board in 2024 and it has undergone several tweaks leading up to P&Z approval.

Previous plans called for the statue to be erected just off the sidewalk at 290 Greenwich Ave., the address for the historic Havemeyer Building which houses the Greenwich Board of Education.

Planning & Zoning Commissioners had concerns about an overcrowding situation at that location, as there are existing monuments in the area that's known as Veterans Plaza Park.

Following a recommendation from Commissioner Nick Macri, the statue will now be erected further up in the park area where an existing planted circle is directly in front of the Havemeyer Building.

Other modifications were made by reducing the overall height of the statue and changing plans for lighting.

Khanna had several questions and concerns during Tuesday's meeting about the process for approving the statue.

"I just want to preface my comments with the fact that I'm proud to live in a town that has a long tradition of honoring its veterans and certainly President Bush is very well deserving," Khanna said. "He was our 41st president, he was a decorated Navy pilot in World War II, he was ambassador to the United Nations, director of the CIA, a congressman and vice president. So, wow, what a resume."

Khanna noted the town's public art policy and asked whether a committee was formed and reviewed plans for the statue.

Camillo said the plans weren't reviewed by any committee as it relates to the policy, and noted the installation would be a "statue."

Khanna then asked if the town needed approval from the Board of Education, as the statue would be located in front of the Havemeyer Building which houses the school board and other district staff.

"The clock is running on their residence there anyway," Camillo said of the Board of Education.

The building has deteriorated over the years, and officials have worked on coming up with solutions to repurpose the historic structure. A boutique hotel was recommended earlier this year following work by a committee.

The statue would remain as part of any future project on the property.

Khanna also said she had concerns that "we haven't really seen any design specifics, like renderings or what materials are going to be used."

"We had some renderings, but one of the renderings we took was from the Bush Presidential Museum. The sculptor who has been very helpful to our donor here and to us, he made it clear that that was not supposed to be there because it was his work. We had to take that back," Camillo said, adding the HDC discussed materials and design specifics.

Camillo said the town is close to deciding on a sculptor for the project, with a selection coming in January.

Khanna then asked if there are any liability issues the town faces in accepting the gift for the statue.

Town Attorney Barbara Schellenberg said she didn't believe so, "but it will go through the full process of gift acceptance that normally happens with the BET and RTM."

Lastly, Khanna asked if there had been a public hearing "to gauge the breadth and depth of the community support for this?"

Camillo said in this particular case, the public hearing took place before the Planning & Zoning Commission, and the public had opportunities before the HDC.

"It's been in all the papers and it's gotten a lot of positive feedback from lots of people," Camillo said. The RTM will also serve as another venue for public comment.

"This isn't the final approval, it's just part of the process," Camillo said of the Board of Selectmen endorsement. "Anytime someone gives a gift to the town, believe it or not, it can get through everything and go to the RTM and it could fail there. Then you'd be back to square one."