Local Heroes: Stacy Mancini Setting Connecticut's History In Stone

One hot summer day, in search of a Local Hero, I stumbled onto the  in Branford. Separated from Branford by only a house-lined street, the quarry is one of the area's biggest hidden gems. The huge mines stone that is used for architecture all over the country.

Wandering around the site, I wasn't alone in this work zone for long. A huge utility vehicle came up the hill and stopped in front of my car and I was shocked when I laid eyes on the person who emerged from the driver's seat. I was expecting a grisly, muscular, balding type, but a small woman with painted nails greeted me with a warm smile.

Stacy Mancini is one of the small staff of the quarry and does everything from being a payloader operator, running the office and the scale house, removing stone, drilling and even weighing and billing.

That is why this week, our local hero is Stacy for her six years of work at the quarry, making sure Connecticut's history is set in stone. 

Q: What's your favorite part of your job?

A: Everything! The history, there is great history here, it's been open for well over 100 years. It's fun to have the people come whose grandfathers worked here you know. Or seeing where the material goes. The latest architecture we're working on; Federal Plaza is one we're currently working on down in New York City. There's some really great projects going on now and it's nice to see the material go from a solid formation in the ground to a building. That's probably my favorite part, the transformation. 

Q: What your least favorite part?

A: Swinging a sledgehammer. 

Q: You're not the typical person for this job, what are people's reactions?

A: Your reaction when I came off the loader is basically what I get from everybody. You know, 'Why are you here?' 'What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?'  That's what I hear constantly. But I love it. I like the physical part. I like being outdoors; the people I work with, the person I work for. I like the whole aspect of the quarry itself. 

Q: What's your dream job?

A: I would work with reptiles, alligators, crocodiles, snakes. Things like that – turtles – all that good stuff. 

You can read a recent story about the history of the Quarry in the New Haven Register.