Vernon Community Arts Center Becoming a Reality

The crowd began to gather at the corner of Center Road and Hartford Turnpike late last week.

Mayor Jason McCoy, other governmental leaders, those involved in the arts, and interested citizens gathered on the lawn outside the 84-year-old whitewashed schoolhouse as Barbara Hopkins and Judy Handler of the Rosewood Chamber Ensemble set the mood with some light music.

People kept glancing at the shovels, the hard hats and the podium.

Yes, it was actually happening. Ground was being broken.

The Vernon Community Arts Center was becoming a reality.

"This project represents a collaborative effort by our community to help restore an emphasis on the fine arts and the value of fine arts in our community,'' McCoy said. "The arts center will carry on this building's rich tradition of providing a quality facility for the community to use.''

The building was constructed in 1927 as the County Home School for children and it served in that capacity until 1950, when its students were integrated into the Vernon school system.

The building also housed kindergarten and adult education classes over the years.

The conversion has an estimated price tag of $1.7 million and it is being funded by two state grants.

In 2008, the town received a $300,000 grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, and lat last year, Vernon received $1.5 million from the Department of Economic and Community Development.

Construction is slated for a single phase and completion is targeted for late fall, McCoy said.   The architectural firm of Quisenberry Arcari designed the building and A. Secondino & Son Inc. is the general contractor

Former mayor Ellen Marmer, under whose administration the project began, called the ground-breaking the end of a "personal odyssey.''

McCoy said the center will be the most up-to-date in Tolland County and it will feature a multi-purpose performance space, gallery space, meeting rooms and classrooms.

After presentations from Historic Properties Commission Chairman Robert Hurd and Paul Shimer, the president of the board for the Vernon Community Arts Center, the dignitaries grabbed golden shovels, donned hard hats and headed to a big dirt pile in front of the building.

Three scoops and a could of dirt signified the project was under way.

"It's great to finally do this,'' Board of Education member Laura Bush said. "This is going to be an important facility for the community.''