Ledyard — About 60 people converged on the high school auditorium to learn about and share their thoughts on the proposed sale of Ledyard Center School on Wednesday night, one week before the elementary school's fate will be decided in the same room.

Mayor Fred Allyn III opened the public hearing with a presentation on the proposal, starting from the initial school consolidation discussions in 2014 to the February cash offer of $500,000 from Connecticut developer Sal Monarca. The offer included a plan to convert the front of the school into retail and dining spaces, demolishing the connector between the front and rear wings of the school, and converting the rear wing into 12 senior housing units.

Residents and taxpayers interested in voting on the sale must attend the town meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, at Ledyard High School.

If approved, the sale would turn over 18.8 acres of town land. The town would retain about seven acres of town green from Route 117 back to the lower pavilion, and it also would avoid more than $1.35 million in demolition costs that had been approved at a referendum in 2015. After a two-year tax abatement, the proposed project would bring in more than $200,000 in annual taxes.

Allyn said that various development plans and visions for the Ledyard Center area over the years have included a mixed-use plan like this, including a defined "downtown," senior housing, green space and adaptive reuse of historical buildings.

Several residents, including representatives from a few town commissions, spoke in favor of the sale, praising the plans and the town's effort to boost its tax base. Both the Democratic and Republican town committees endorsed the proposal, and a few residents asked when they could sign up for the senior housing openings. Others asked if the town could use the proceeds from the sale to support maintenance of the town green, including historically appropriate signs for the property.

The primary opposition came from supporters of the Ledyard Fair, which has operated on the property for nearly 75 years. In previous meetings, Allyn said that if the project were approved, Monarca would allow the fair to operate on the green this year, scheduled for Sept. 6-8. The Town Council also has met with the fair board to discuss other locations for the event in the future.

In a statement originally published on Facebook in April and read aloud Wednesday night by fair board President Rich Kent, the board opposed the proposal. Even with the promise of this year, the fair would be forced to reduce its offerings, since it uses some of the school property for the softball tournament and the trailers and other equipment needed by vendors and competitors.

The board also maintains the facilities on the property and hosts other events outside of the fair, such as the Ledyard Light Parade in the winter. The town would be sacrificing some of its history and traditions by going through with the sale as proposed, Kent said.

a.hutchinson@theday.com

If You Go

What: Town meeting on proposed sale of Ledyard Center School

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 15

Where: Ledyard High School

Who: Residents and taxpayers with valid identification