10/08/10 Trust wants to move Lyon House to playground

A small park next to the Dorothy Hamill Rink parking lot in Byram is being eyed as the location for a historic Colonial-era home.

But a small playground located there would have to be nudged aside if the Thomas Lyon House was moved to Sherman Avenue, said Jo Conboy, chairman of the Greenwich Preservation Trust.

"There is a tiny, tiny playground with one or two slides that we would relocate and pay for; maybe we can even have it beside it (the house)," she said.

Lee Black, a local resident who regularly takes her 17-month-old son Dan to the enjoy the small parks jungle gym and handful of other amusements, doesn't want to see its character changed.

"I hate to see the little park go away, it is such a beautiful space," Black said Wednesday. "It's just a great playground for small children and it's nice to have in the neighborhood."

Black said she favors preserving the town's rich history, but is concerned about losing a park in a neighborhood that has many small children.

On Thursday, the trust received the town's backing to continue its efforts after the group appeared in front of the Board of Selectmen.

"It seems to me to make total sense," First Selectman Peter Tesei said about the move.

That selectmen's support does not mean approval has been granted to the trust to move the home. Trust board member Eric Brower said it helps the trust's fundraising efforts by showing that the group has the town's

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Park-ing-place-Trust-wants-to-move-Lyon-House-to-694058.php