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12/28/2022 08:30 AMWhen Rosalyn “Roz” Fahey and her family were thinking of moving from their former home in Fairfield County, they began their search along the shoreline for a “slow pace” where they could find that small-town feel. One day while searching, Roz passed by the Academy School, which in 1998 was still thriving, and what she saw made an instant connection for her.
“Academy was a thriving elementary school. I would see parents congregating outside the building, waiting for their children to burst through those double doors on their way to the playground or maybe stop for some ice cream,” Roz says. “When we drove through by Academy, I just loved the building. I love different architectural designs, and it was just so fun to see the kids and the parents hanging out by Academy and congregating together. It just made you feel at home right then and there.”
Roz and her family chose Madison as their home in large part because of the sense of community she witnessed at Academy that day. Roz also sent her kids to Academy and has been a staunch and tireless supporter of preserving the building as part of Madison’s past ever since.
“Just the way the parents and kids were congregating out there gave it such a hometown feel that we really wanted to be a part of it,” says Roz. “I think preserving Academy is essential to the community and the historical values we have as a town. It’s part of the historical sector.”
Roz’s background in restoration and historical preservation was another key factor in driving her to help coalesce support to keep Academy from being torn down. Roz has a degree in interior design, and she and a friend have restored several Madison homes to their original charm.
“My father was a builder and electrician and my brother is a contractor, so I worked alongside them. That love and experience are part of it. I just love architecture and restoration. I took a course in interior design and it just stood out that that was what I wanted to do,” says Roz. “I ran an antique consignment store, too, and I restored old furniture, so I kind of have an all-around love for anything old. Plus, my dad built houses from the ground up...and it was just a fun thing to do. It’s interesting when you start taking things apart. All that history.”
Almost a quarter century later, Roz is on the Academy Community Center Advisory Committee, helping guide the future of the very building that made her initially fall in love with Madison. Roz says her experience with design and restoration is a critical skill for the Academy Advisory Committee, while also emphasizing that she is just one of many involved in a collaboration to preserve the building.
“I am thrilled to be on the Committee,” says Fahey. “I am passionate about historic homes and buildings and, when we create a community center in this location, we can bring a vibrancy to Madison for people of all ages. The building was actually a donation by Daniel Hand, and I never understood why anyone would want to take away a gift to the town. So, I am very happy that we were able to save it.”
Roz says her efforts to save Academy began pre-pandemic when she and several friends took on the task of not only sprucing up the rapidly deteriorating building, but also garnering support and a consensus that one of Madison’s unique structures needed to be saved.
“In 2017, I along with two friends, Kathryn Hunter and Catherine Donovan, began our grassroots movement to save Academy,” says Roz. “We started a petition and stood outside Academy in the cold talking to the community explaining the advantages and possible outcomes for a renovated Academy building. I just didn’t want them to rip this building down. It is just so beautiful.”
In 2019, Roz and her friends were part of an Earth Day event in which volunteers joined to clean up the exterior of the Academy Building.
“We got Rings End to donate paint, and Landon Lumber also donated some supplies to help us improve the building. So, we covered up broken windows with plywood. We scraped down the railings, getting all the rust off. That’s where the red doors came in,” says Roz. “As if the building was saying, don’t forget about me. It’s actually a historic color of red.”
Roz says that the new survey being conducted by the Committee is an extremely important process that she hopes residents of every age will participate in. Though much of the building already has designated uses, the Beach and Recreation Department will be sited there, along with Madison Youth and Family Services, and there are still numerous opportunities for other uses that Roz and the Committee are hoping residents will provide feedback on.
“There are so many options to consider, and that is why we created a survey to ask the people of Madison what they want in a community center,” says Roz. “Should we have an indoor farmers market, theatrical plays, a community kitchen? Those are some of the questions.”
“I’m looking forward to reading the answers from the Madison community,” Roz continues. “It would be great to have some inter-generational activities as well in that building. It is such a great and beautiful building. It has great 12-foot-wide corridors, tin ceilings that are very high. It is really cool. There is just so much potential in it. Cooking classes, food pantries, theatre events, art classes, music, entertainment, rentals. There’s enough space for everybody to be happy.”
Roz says close to 1,100 people have participated in the survey so far, but Committee members are urging residents to partake in the survey, which can be found at the town website. Roz says feedback from residents under 34 years of age is especially valuable for the Committee.
“I think the Committee has done an amazing job. We have so many talented and great people on board, all trying to get the community involved with this survey to help us understand what we should be offering to people,” says Roz. “This is about what people want to see. And it is very important for people to put their comments down in the survey. I think everybody should fill out the survey and provide that input-tell us what those wants and needs are. We have been getting some great responses and some great ideas, and we want to hear more.”
Roz adds, “I don’t like to take this on and focus on myself. There were so many talented people involved. It is such a great thing for this community, and we are looking forward to seeing it come back to life. I can’t wait to see people coming in and out of it once again.”
According to Committee members, the general consensus is that construction on the Community Center project will likely start sometime in 2024, and the projected completion will likely be sometime in 2025. However, these dates are approximations, as any large construction process can encounter uncertainties and unexpected developments.
The survey can be found on the town website at madisonct.org. The survey link can be found under the “Selectwoman’s Dec. 16 Community Update” that is under the “News” section of the site’s homepage.