By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Two stakeholder meetings will be held today as several borough groups will provide their input for the redevelopment of Bancroft. At 4 p.m. in the Borough Hall Auditorium the 65-Club and Mabel Kay House members will meet with Clarke, Caton, and Hintz, while the family PTA’s and Haddonfield recreation council will meet later on in the day at 7 p.m. at the HMHS auditorium.
Jack O’Malley, a recreation council member, said he can’t speak for the entire town but it’s the general consensus of the council to pursue an athletic field at the Bancroft property, specifically a turf field on the Haddonfield side of the property.
“As a whole we are wholeheartedly in favor of a playing field, a turf field realistically. Everyone involved in sports would be in favor of that I think,” he said. “As a rec council representative you can’t speak for what everyone wants, but as a general consenseus I would assume that anyone in this town who has kids playing on any of these fields would agree that none of the fields are in good condition. Even the high school fields are suffering from overuse.”
A field behind the high school would also allow for potential expansion of HMHS as well, he said. The high school is currently “landlocked” and nowhere else to go.
The next stakeholder meeting after today will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, March 2. Residents of The Mews and Roberts Avenue — the south side of Kings Highway — will meet the firm.
Visit www.bancroftredevelopment.com for a complete like of stakeholder meetings.