Butch McCartney

A new look, atmosphere and attitude is what Clint Wanta, the new owner of She-Nannigans, has in mind for the bar.

Wanta, who is from the Wausau area, finalized the financial details in late March. He is well under way giving She-Nannigans, 415 Water St., a complete makeover. Wanta said he hopes renovations will be complete by the end of April.

“Well kept and clean. That’s my goal,” Wanta said. The total renovation includes new ceilings, walls, floors and a new front, he said. She-Nannigans will remain a dance club and bar – consisting of two bars and a dance bar in the back, he said.

As for the name, Wanta said he is going to keep She-Nannigans but change Finney’s. A new name is not picked yet, he said.

Senior Megan Reisner went to She-Nannigans before it changed owners but said she does not think she will go back.

Change is a good idea, she said, but added that in Eau Claire the name should also change.

“The name will always be associated with everything that went on there before,” Reisner said.

Many of Reisner’s friends have refused to go back to She-Nannigans because of what happened there, she said.

She does not know if a new owner will change their minds, Reisner said.

In September Dominique Navarro, 3234 Potter Road, was accused of second degree sexual assault involving an unconscious woman after hours, according to a police report. He pleaded not guilty. The trial is scheduled to begin June 3. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

When Navarro decided to sell She-Nannigans because of financial reasons, Wanta chose to buy it. The bar is in a good location – a college town, he said.

Wanta said he grew up in the bar his family owned for 27 years and he has a good idea how to run a bar.

“I’ve seen the good and bad. What works and what doesn’t,” Wanta said.

This experience will help Wanta make She-Nannigans “the best club it can be,” he said.

In the past, some things were gotten away with, but he is not going to let that happen, Wanta said.

“It’s going to be very clean,” Wanta said. “A new look, new atmosphere, new attitude.”

Senior Krissy Behnke is excited about the changes Wanta is making, adding that change is good. Behnke went to She-Nannigans when Navarro owned the bar.

“I thought it was dark and dreary,” said Behnke on when Navarro owned She-Nannigans. Wanta may make it a better place to hang out, she said.

Hopefully, Behnke said, students will not use what happened at She-Nannigans in the past against Wanta.