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.