Haddonfield Board of Education representatives heard the concerns of Radnor Field neighbors loud and clear. The district presented a new design of its Bancroft redevelopment plan, which eliminates the need to sell Radnor Field, and will facilitate the redevelopment into a two-phase process.
The board presented a plan in two-phases at a special BOE meeting on Thursday, Nov. 3 to about 100 members of the public at the middle school auditorium.
The new plan costs about $24 million according to district representatives, about $8 million less than the original $32 million price tag.
The biggest change in the plan? The BOE isn’t including the $8 million for the construction of a new library in the first phase of the project. Superintendent Rich Perry said the footprint is still being included in the project, however, and if deemed appropriate could be added back into the plan during the second phase.
“We went back, took another look, and presented a new version where we will look at a possible phase in over time. It still heads in the same direction, but it would be slower,” Perry said. “We’re not touching Radnor Field. We’ll continue to talk about potential revenue sources that we can use.”
The first phase of the project would include purchasing the 19-acre property, the construction of a turf field and parking lot on the west side of Hopkins Lane, and a field house and storage facility.
The purchase price of just the Bancroft property is estimated at $12.5 million. The remaining $5 million would go towards the construction of the other facets of phase one.
For $20 million, the average assessed homeowner of $491,350 would see an annual increase of a little more than $318 a year for the next 20 years.
The second phase of the project includes the district’s plan to construct a new academic learning center that would attach to the high school. The $6 million facility would include $1.2 million in soft costs.
It’s also important to remember that no potential open space, green acres, or county funds were included in this project as means of revenue, Perry pointed out. Those could further decrease the cost of the plan when the amounts are known, he said.
The Radnor Field issue was the biggest sticking point for residents living near the sports complex. Many questioned the district’s decision to selling off the athletic fields for the development of single-family homes and then using the money to construct more fields near the high school.
Board of Education President Steve Weinstein said the concerns were understood by school district representatives.
“The BOE believes that the vision presented for the Bancroft property presents the borough and the school district with important opportunities to secure and maintain the excellence for which our schools are known and thereby maintain property values long into the future for all of our residents,” he said. “In revising the plan, we listened to the concerns of the Radnor community and also to those who urged a phased approach to development to moderate the tax impact. We sincerely appreciate all the folks who spoke in favor of the concept at this recent meeting as well as those who voiced concern with the initial plan and look forward to further dialogue to bring this vision to reality.”
