Led by Board of Education President Steve Weinstein, the BOE members presented a plan to the Haddonfield Commissioners Monday night that would allow the board to purchase the 19-acre property for a mix of educational, athletic, and open space uses at the campus.
Weinstein proposed that the commissioners pass a redevelopment plan that would allow the board to take the lead in purchasing the campus and negotiate with Bancroft to purchase the property. It would be owned by the district, he said, but certain parcels could be deeded to the borough or used for other aspects, such as ratables, he said.
Initially, the district would use the 19-acre property to construct a new turf athletic field, provide additional parking, and turf the existing high school football field. However, it would also provide the school district with some much needed flexibility to add classrooms, expand athletic opportunities, and possibility meet a future requirement to provide full time kindergarten to the borough.
The entire plan would likely cost about $16.8 million to purchase the property, demolish the current buildings, and make several other improvements at the site, Weinstein said. For a homeowner with the average valued home in the borough of $491,000, it would result in an annual school board tax increase of $268 for the next 20 years at a 4 percent bond.
The plan does not include a previous learning center or new library at the site, Weinstein explained, which is why the overall project came in it at just a $16.8 million estimate.
Because the school district would own the property, the board would have to go to the Haddonfield pubic in a referendum question to spend taxpayer money on the proposal, Weinstein said. This could happen as early as September of
To be able to use the available open space funding and green acres grants, the school district would have to deed or give the borough several parts of the property. They would be determined at a later date, Weinstein said.
Several citizens expressed concerns about the school district owning the entire property by themselves. Joe Haro, a borough resident, said the project was the commissioners and the three could still be “visionaries” for the property.
Commissioner Jeff Kasko said the redevelopment plan could certainly include part of the school board’s proposal when it was finally crafted, but it could also include several other aspects.
Commissioner Ed Borden agreed and said he was happy to see so much agreement between the borough and the BOE. This plan, he said, was very similar to an “all public use” plan that the commissioners presented in September.
“There can be revenue opportunities in this plan though to offset these costs,” Borden said.
Borough Solicitor Mario Iavicoli said something like this could possibly be done, but it would basically limit the purchaser of the property to just one single entity.
No final decision was made and the commissioners have yet to set a date to determine the final redevelopment plan.
Please revisit The Haddonfield Sun on Tuesday for more details.
