NEW LONDON - Nancy’s Salon, a fixture on New London’s Meridian Street for 35 years, is keeping a close eye on a partnership between the historic Garde Arts Center and a proposed performing arts magnet school.
“If it's good for the children, good for the city, good for the Garde, I'm on board,” said Nancy Hannegan, owner of the hair salon.
“The concept was wouldn't it be very cool in the small city to have kids learning performing and visual arts in the context of a professional performing arts center,” said Steve Sigel, executive director of the Garde Arts Center.
But, if the school is approved by the state and built, it would force Nancy’s Salon and a neighboring photography business to relocate.
“At this point, it's all about demolishing historic buildings, which I don't agree with,” said A. Vincent Scarano, whose photography business is located two doors down from Nancy’s.
Sigel says the New London superintendent , Dr. Manny Rivera, believes demolishing the three-story Mercer Building at the corner of State and Meridian is the cheapest and best option. But, Sigel points out, the school system might face road blocks because the buildings are located in the city’s historic district. Plus, he says, the proposed school plan has changed over the past couple of years.
“It has grown to a point where you can raise questions about what's affordable and what you can deliver within a $31 million budget,” said Sigel, who notes it’s likely to take another couple of months of studying to see if the curtain will indeed rise on the project.
