Haddonfield residents, you have one packed year ahead of 300th birthday festivities, election campaigns and, later this month, the Bancroft bond referendum through the Board of Education.
The referendum for the proposed joint acquisition by the borough and school board for the 19.2-acre Bancroft property on Kings Highway comes to a head on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
“The residents of Haddonfield will decide how we move forward with Bancroft,” said Mayor Tish Colombi. “I’m just hopeful that people will learn as much as they can about it, not just listen to rumors or stories that they hear on the street.”
Leading up to the day of the vote, Colombi said, the school board has hosted many meetings and informational gatherings to help residents understand the plan for the site.
This is a “special opportunity,” she said, and probably “the best chance we’ve ever had of acquiring the property.”
“If we miss it, it would be a long time before anything like this would come up again,” Colombi said.
The plan, she said, covers open space needs, land for Haddonfield Memorial High School, helps with the current lack of parking and, at the same time, will give the athletic fields in town some rest.
“We certainly want to give them safe fields to play on and the ability that all of them can play,” she said of the borough’s young athletes, who have been increasing in numbers.
“We really are stretched,” she said. “I’m very hopeful that people will see it that way.”
In May, the borough will hold its non-partisan commissioners election.
At the Mayor’s Breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 19, Colombi will announce if she plans to run for re-election.
The breakfast is set to begin at 9 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church on Kings Highway, according to the Haddonfield Lion Club’s website.
Tickets are $7 per person.
The winner with the highest number of votes will become mayor, she said.
“It’s always interesting,” she said, citing many rumors that float around prior to when the candidates announce their plans.
Commissioner elections are held every four years in the borough.
Colombi was first elected to the commissioners in 1985 and is entering her 12th year as mayor.
“Community” will be a word of choice throughout the year, as Haddonfield celebrates turning 300 years old.
A website, haddonfield300.org, has been created to spread the news of events occurring through the tricentennial.
The first official event, according to the website, will be a solemn service at the Haddonfield Friends Meetinghouse on Jan. 27 at 2 p.m.
Maureen Eyles is chair of the tricentennial committee.
“She’s doing a great job,” said Colombi. “I think it’s very exciting.”
Groups and organizations throughout Haddonfield will be making special contributions through the year to remember the 300th birthday.
Make sure to keep an eye out, and turn to The Sun, for events over the next 12 months.
School district updates
This will surely be a busy year in Haddonfield’s public schools.
As kids begin to re-adjust following winter break, Superintendent Dr. Richard Perry said there would be some changes.
“As with many school districts, in regard to the recent tragic events in Newtown, Conn., as a school district in conjunction with the borough, we will continue to review our district’s crisis plan, safety and security policies and gain input from law enforcement, community and governmental agencies on how to proceed,” he said.
The copula on top of the high school building was recently painted and repaired, Perry said. This year, the district hopes to bring light back into it.
“We believe this will be symbolic of the bright future ahead for Haddonfield School District and the community,” he said.
Capital projects are on the horizon as well.
“In the past two years, we have allocated over $2 million to improve our school facilities and renovate, for example, the high school thanks to the efforts of LCA (Lights, Camera, Action),” Perry said. “So far, we have allocated, with LCA’s generous donations, close to $300,000 for this project that included installing a dynamic new sound system, painting and repairing plaster and other structures, refinishing the stage, and adding new curtains and sound system components.”
Next on the agenda, he said, is the addition of lighting and seating.
The district is entering into its budgetary cycle, Perry said, and is remaining “fiscally cognizant of the taxpayers” while keeping aims high within the schools.
“This school year, the district was able to add programs, proceed with capital projects, and improve technology initiatives in a year of no tax increase by the school district on the tax levy,” he said. “We also will continue to concentrate on strengthening our tuition program that brings in close to $400,000 annually for the district along with investigating other alternative revenue sources as well.”
Finally, technology in the schools is constantly evolving.
“We have allocated a significant amount of resources with the help of the PTAs to add SMART technologies, iPads, and advanced technology initiatives throughout the district,” said Perry.
