Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Around Haddonfield
“Welcome to Historic Haddonfield” sign seen on Kings Highway while leaving Haddon Heights N.J.
Haddonfield Borough Hall located on Kings Highway East
Haddonfield High School’s football field begins to lose its grass
Haddonfield High School; View of the football field from the 50-yard-line
Haddonfield High School’s Athletic Director, Lefteris Banos poses for a photo outside of the school
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Bancroft
Haddonfield High School needs more room to expand their buildings and sports fields. For at least 10 years, the Borough and the Board of Education have been discussing the idea of purchasing the property next to the high school, which is currently owned by The Bancroft School. Bancroft provides housing and education for children and adults with developmental and cognitive disabilities.
Haddonfield Mayor Letitia Colombi said that she is very excited about the possibility of the purchase. She said. “If this happens, this would be a way for the students to get more of what they need. Of all of the schools in the Colonial Conference, Haddonfield High School has the smallest amount of land.”
Despite the Mayor’s excitement, purchase of the Bancroft property may prove to be easier said than done. According to an article from “Haddon Patch” by Bill Duhart, the BOE announced back in July that they wanted to purchase the property for $12.19 million.
Mayor Colombi explained that in order to help pay for the purchase, the Borough has approached Camden County about receiving Open Space grants. According to the Camden County Free Holders website, these grants “are presented to existing publicly owned recreation facilities planning to expand their utilization for recreational purposes”. The Mayor said “we also have... two Open Space grants from the State of New Jersey that add up to about $900,000 that we have access to. So we are in a position, depending on how much the County is willing to give us, to contribute to the cost of the property.”
These grants will only be a portion of the money needed to complete the purchase. A referendum will need to be voted on by the Haddonfield residents to decide if they want the BOE and the Borough to purchase the property. In a previous interview, Haddonfield High School Athletic Director Lefteris Banos explained that the voting is scheduled to occur on January 22, 2013.
When asked about concerns residents might have about money, Mayor Colombi responded, “Any time you have to raise taxes, it’s hard. So we have to be very careful about our budget... I think that’s what has a lot of people worried. They want to know if they can afford it. But it makes sense to own that property next to our high school.”
Bancroft has been in Haddonfield since 1883 and many of its facilities are in need of an upgrade. According to a Philly.com article by James Osborne, Bancroft has actually been seeking buyers for the property since 2005 and are willing to sell it to the school and Borough.
Sarah Miduski, Case Manager for the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities, worked with Bancroft for twelve years. During an interview, she said, “I think it would be good for Bancroft to move. I think they’ve outgrown that campus. It would be nice to improve some of their buildings because I know the housing [for the kids] is pretty bleak at this point. They’re kind of worn down and there’s only so much you can do to repair it. I think having a nice big clean slate to work with would be really great.”
I asked Ms. Miduski if she knew if Bancroft was prepared to move, and she responded, “I don’t think they have identified anywhere specific. It’s a difficult path because most of the housing that isn’t on that campus is still in the area, so if they move too far away, they still have to transport all the kids in the group home. As far as I know they are still looking in [Camden and Burlington County] for a new property.”
According to the “Bancroft Property Letter of Intent,” if the January referendum passes, Bancroft has two years to “sign an agreement of sale for a new site.” As soon as the Borough and the BOE obtain the property, Bancroft is permitted to stay on the property up to four years. It can stay for two years free of charge, but if it remains on the land for more than two years, rent payments will be required during the third and fourth year.
Haddonfield Mayor Letitia Colombi said that she is very excited about the possibility of the purchase. She said. “If this happens, this would be a way for the students to get more of what they need. Of all of the schools in the Colonial Conference, Haddonfield High School has the smallest amount of land.”
Despite the Mayor’s excitement, purchase of the Bancroft property may prove to be easier said than done. According to an article from “Haddon Patch” by Bill Duhart, the BOE announced back in July that they wanted to purchase the property for $12.19 million.
Mayor Colombi explained that in order to help pay for the purchase, the Borough has approached Camden County about receiving Open Space grants. According to the Camden County Free Holders website, these grants “are presented to existing publicly owned recreation facilities planning to expand their utilization for recreational purposes”. The Mayor said “we also have... two Open Space grants from the State of New Jersey that add up to about $900,000 that we have access to. So we are in a position, depending on how much the County is willing to give us, to contribute to the cost of the property.”
These grants will only be a portion of the money needed to complete the purchase. A referendum will need to be voted on by the Haddonfield residents to decide if they want the BOE and the Borough to purchase the property. In a previous interview, Haddonfield High School Athletic Director Lefteris Banos explained that the voting is scheduled to occur on January 22, 2013.
When asked about concerns residents might have about money, Mayor Colombi responded, “Any time you have to raise taxes, it’s hard. So we have to be very careful about our budget... I think that’s what has a lot of people worried. They want to know if they can afford it. But it makes sense to own that property next to our high school.”
Bancroft has been in Haddonfield since 1883 and many of its facilities are in need of an upgrade. According to a Philly.com article by James Osborne, Bancroft has actually been seeking buyers for the property since 2005 and are willing to sell it to the school and Borough.
Sarah Miduski, Case Manager for the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities, worked with Bancroft for twelve years. During an interview, she said, “I think it would be good for Bancroft to move. I think they’ve outgrown that campus. It would be nice to improve some of their buildings because I know the housing [for the kids] is pretty bleak at this point. They’re kind of worn down and there’s only so much you can do to repair it. I think having a nice big clean slate to work with would be really great.”
I asked Ms. Miduski if she knew if Bancroft was prepared to move, and she responded, “I don’t think they have identified anywhere specific. It’s a difficult path because most of the housing that isn’t on that campus is still in the area, so if they move too far away, they still have to transport all the kids in the group home. As far as I know they are still looking in [Camden and Burlington County] for a new property.”
According to the “Bancroft Property Letter of Intent,” if the January referendum passes, Bancroft has two years to “sign an agreement of sale for a new site.” As soon as the Borough and the BOE obtain the property, Bancroft is permitted to stay on the property up to four years. It can stay for two years free of charge, but if it remains on the land for more than two years, rent payments will be required during the third and fourth year.
Turf it?
September 30, 2012
High School Football is a big deal in Haddonfield. Most recently the team beat out Collingswood 36 to 7. Winning is good, but winning requires a lot of practice. And practicing can be challenging if your playing field is in bad condition.
Haddonfield’s sports fields are known as some of the worst in South Jersey. The school has limited land. Fields are used daily by multiple programs. This overuse turns the grass to mud. There are many holes, which can lead to different injuries. Some argue that converting the field to artificial turf is the solution. Others remain unconvinced.
Haddonfield’s Athletic Director, Lefteris Banos, supports this decision. He says the Haddonfield sports fields have “become unsafe and are embarrassing.” In a recent presentation for the Haddonfield Board of Education, Mr. Banos showed that the cost for installing and maintaining the turf, over its lifetime, is not significantly different from the cost of repairing and maintaining a grass field. Grass fields are more susceptible to deterioration when they’re wet. Currently, four or five activities are scheduled on these fields daily, contributing to the damage.
In an interview, Mr. Banos explained that a turf field will “improve the quality of play... and improve the safety of our athletes.” Having turf fields allow opportunities to rest the other grass fields and will help improve their condition over time.
When asked if he knew of any negative effects of turf fields, Mr. Banos expressed that he was “not aware of any potential dangers that a turf field could pose to the safety or well being to participants or the environment.”
A NJ Wire article explains that during the BOE meeting, residents expressed concerns regarding potential water pollution from “lead chromate” coming from the turf. However, representatives for Remington & Vernick Engineers, who have been contracted for the restoration of the field, explained that use of this type of turf was terminated years ago.
Even if the turf is a good idea, the school cannot afford the large initial cost. So a group of Haddonfield citizens, alumni and “Haddonfield Hall of Fame” members joined together to help raise funds for new turf fields. Calling itself the “Haddonfield Turf Field Committee” the group met with the Borough and the BOE. It was agreed that if the HTFC provided half of the funds, $500,000, the BOE and the Borough would come up with the rest.
According to the HTFC’s brochure, privately funded studies were done on the safety, environmental impact, and durability of synthetic turf fields. These details can be found on their website. HTFC did not respond to requests for an interview.
Despite positive feedback, some residents remain concerned. A long-time resident, with a child in the high school, asked, “Why weren’t we given a choice before they started fundraising? I’m upset that this was done without other people having a choice in the matter.” She also expressed concerns of the school band not being permitted to use the new field for practice. Mr. Banos responds that this is only a rumor and the band will have the same access as they currently do.
23-year resident, Rick Schwein says, “I first became aware of [this] when we received a very slick full-color campaign-type brochure in the mail... I’m mainly interested in finding out about the true costs of turf versus well-maintained grass. Environmental issues are something else I need to know more about. At this point I’m undecided about the issue. I definitely will oppose turf if it turns out to be a hugely expensive or damaging boondoggle.”
High School Football is a big deal in Haddonfield. Most recently the team beat out Collingswood 36 to 7. Winning is good, but winning requires a lot of practice. And practicing can be challenging if your playing field is in bad condition.
Haddonfield’s sports fields are known as some of the worst in South Jersey. The school has limited land. Fields are used daily by multiple programs. This overuse turns the grass to mud. There are many holes, which can lead to different injuries. Some argue that converting the field to artificial turf is the solution. Others remain unconvinced.
Haddonfield’s Athletic Director, Lefteris Banos, supports this decision. He says the Haddonfield sports fields have “become unsafe and are embarrassing.” In a recent presentation for the Haddonfield Board of Education, Mr. Banos showed that the cost for installing and maintaining the turf, over its lifetime, is not significantly different from the cost of repairing and maintaining a grass field. Grass fields are more susceptible to deterioration when they’re wet. Currently, four or five activities are scheduled on these fields daily, contributing to the damage.
In an interview, Mr. Banos explained that a turf field will “improve the quality of play... and improve the safety of our athletes.” Having turf fields allow opportunities to rest the other grass fields and will help improve their condition over time.
When asked if he knew of any negative effects of turf fields, Mr. Banos expressed that he was “not aware of any potential dangers that a turf field could pose to the safety or well being to participants or the environment.”
A NJ Wire article explains that during the BOE meeting, residents expressed concerns regarding potential water pollution from “lead chromate” coming from the turf. However, representatives for Remington & Vernick Engineers, who have been contracted for the restoration of the field, explained that use of this type of turf was terminated years ago.
Even if the turf is a good idea, the school cannot afford the large initial cost. So a group of Haddonfield citizens, alumni and “Haddonfield Hall of Fame” members joined together to help raise funds for new turf fields. Calling itself the “Haddonfield Turf Field Committee” the group met with the Borough and the BOE. It was agreed that if the HTFC provided half of the funds, $500,000, the BOE and the Borough would come up with the rest.
According to the HTFC’s brochure, privately funded studies were done on the safety, environmental impact, and durability of synthetic turf fields. These details can be found on their website. HTFC did not respond to requests for an interview.
Despite positive feedback, some residents remain concerned. A long-time resident, with a child in the high school, asked, “Why weren’t we given a choice before they started fundraising? I’m upset that this was done without other people having a choice in the matter.” She also expressed concerns of the school band not being permitted to use the new field for practice. Mr. Banos responds that this is only a rumor and the band will have the same access as they currently do.
23-year resident, Rick Schwein says, “I first became aware of [this] when we received a very slick full-color campaign-type brochure in the mail... I’m mainly interested in finding out about the true costs of turf versus well-maintained grass. Environmental issues are something else I need to know more about. At this point I’m undecided about the issue. I definitely will oppose turf if it turns out to be a hugely expensive or damaging boondoggle.”
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