New Bancroft plan is most expensive yet

Another day, another plan for Bancroft, and another neighborhood with a new set of concerns. The Haddonfield Public School District presented its $32 million site concept plan for the Bancroft campus to a packed meeting room of Haddonfield residents last week.

Board of Education President Steve Weinstein, Superintendent Richard Perry, and Architect Bob Garrison presented a plan that would see the installation of several athletic fields and a shared high school and borough library at the 20-acre campus.

“This is more expensive than any other option presented to the borough,” Weinstein said early in his presentation. “We ask that you consider the value for your dollar.”

Among the features for the property would be the construction of three new athletic fields — one of them an artificial turf field — and a multi-purpose facility that could be connected to the high school and serve as a new library for the borough.

District figures show that a $30 million bond over 20 years at four percent interest would impact the average homeowner’s tax bill in the borough by about $477 a year. If the district were to only borrow $15 million, it would impact the average homeowner at about $238 a year.

Commissioner Jeff Kasko noted that the district’s fiscal impact estimates were different than values presented to the borough at an earlier meeting by Ed McManimon, Haddonfield’s redevelopment counsel. McManimon said that a project cost of $14.25 million would result in a municipal tax increase of about $271 for the average homeowner in Haddonfield.

To help pay for the cost of the project, Weinstein said the district could sell the Radnor Field property and possibly develop homes on the land, which rankled several residents near the athletic complex.

“If housing is to be built on Radnor Field, it would be a horrible location for a development,” said John Stokes, a planner and resident near the field. “There are 31 homes currently backed up to the field. It would significant increase the impact on the neighborhood.”

One of the most exciting aspects of the proposal, Weinstein said, is the multi-use facility that would house a new borough library. The building would be connected to the high school and serve as a joint school and municipal library, Weinstein said. The facility would also serve as a technology center, which would allow the district to expand its partnership with Drexel University and possibly bring in Rowan University for a similar partnership. It would be located on the western side of the property, right next to the high school.

Haddonfield Public Library board members have shown interest in such a project, he said, but have not yet fully signed off on the deal yet.

The proposal would include both passive and active open space, with the construction of a new artificial turf field, a baseball field, softball field, and two athletic practice fields. It would also include the conversion of the HMHS football field to a turf field as well.

The proposal includes 438 parking spaces. It would decrease the parking impact on nearby Kings Highway when there are games or events at the high school, Weinstein said, an added bonus.

A one-mile walking trail would be constructed at the north side of the site.

Both Lullworth Hall, the Carriage House, and the existing green house would be preserved on the site. The district said the borough could possibly lease out these structures or sell them at their discretion.

The plan would go a long way in improving the long-term vision for the district and help Haddonfield stand out even more if regionalization of school districts ever becomes a reality, Perry.