The Haddonfield Board of Education unanimously approved final language for a $12.5 million bond referendum in a sometimes raucous public meeting Thursday night at the high school library.
The action clears the way for a Jan. 22 bond referendum for the purchase of the 19-acre Bancroft property adjacent to the high school. The joint purchase by the school board and the borough has been a lightning rod for criticism about the costs and priorities of the BOE and borough.
The plan is to pair the $12.5 million bond with at least $3.5 million in state, county and local open-space funds for the purchase. With the passage, the board met a Dec. 13 deadline for the language to be forwarded to the state Department of Education for approval.
Bancroft is a center for people with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries. It has been on this parcel of land for the past 128 years.
"I will pay taxes for anything that helps kids become responsible adults," said Angela Melzi, who said she is 65 and a lifelong borough resident. "But when I see this Bancroft proposal, I have to question what we are we doing as a community."
Melzi peppered the board with questions about an annual facilities report filed with the state that listed over $30 million in improvements needed for local schools. She asked if it was wise to buy Bancroft with other pressing needs.
Amid the rancor of the two-hour meeting Thursday, allegations of professional polling of this 2.5-square-mile borough were raised by several residents in a crowd of about two dozen. School board President Steve Weinstein said he was surprised when he got a call at home from pollsters.
"There's a stench of corruption in this town," said Dr. Susan Hoch, a physician and resident who said she was upset about a phone poll on the Bancroft purchase. "Who paid for this poll on us?"
Weinstein said he didn't know who paid for or commissioned the poll, but promised the crowd the BOE did not. Hoch called the canvas a push poll, a technique of planting negative or positive cues to callers disguised as an impartial poll.
The Bancroft property has been an oasis of possibilities in this nearly built-out borough for open-space preservation and the development of additional athletic fields. The public purchase plan includes the construction of a high-school sports field, demolition of existing buildings on the property, preservation of open space and preservation of land for future school development.
Bill Tourtellotte, a past president of the borough civic association, stood and said he supported the Bancroft purchase as a step forward.
"Where we're sitting is on land that used to be four or five houses that were taken to build this high school," Tourtellotte said. "This is a bigger issue than just us. Our predecessors did the right thing for us and now is our chance to exhibit good vision for those after us."
Opponents of the plan object to the sports field—for which Weinstein and other board officials favor a $1.2 million, artificial-turf surface—and additional taxes for borough residents who already pay some of the highest taxes in the state.
"I've said all along, there are reasons to vote against this and reasons to vote for it," Weinstein said after the meeting. "Everyone has a right to voice their opinion on taxes and costs. Let's see where it goes. I'm hopeful. That's all I can say."
Don't miss any Haddonfield or Haddon Township news. Sign up for Patch's free daily newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
This is incorrect. I spoke to Ms. Dunn, Mgr of facilities dept, I believe, who was clear to tell me that this plan was not submitted. She said that on 6/20/12 an approval letter was submitted, or some such document, by the BOE for Bancroft purchase. She also said that this letter was not made a part of LRFP since it did not deal with educational uses. It is important to me that I be given clear information so I can make informed decisions.
What is great is that you can scroll past the parts that don't interest you.
This board has voted to date for 100% of the turf fields coming before it, at the high school. Given that track record, can voters trust that the "multi-purpose athletic field" at Bancroft will not to be turfed? And why should voters have to take their chances? The board had an opportunity to remove some or all of the $1 million from the bond and address the issue of turf or grass down the road. But they chose instead to keep the $1 million in the bond and to leave voters in a quandry.
Whether we agree on Bancroft or not, we do agree on all information should be readily available and explained. It helps keep the what ifs and misunderstandings at bay.
How lucky I am that I and my children are on this earth today so that I can work to plan for our futures and those of any future grandchildren I may have. I am so terribly sorry for those children and adults today who do not have my good fortune. so very very sad
Each completed Bancroft survey lasted about 20 minutes, so with the TSR opening and closing the record, figure 30 minutes. Two surveys per hour, tops. For each 1000 households, that's $20 x .5 x 1000 or $10,000 low end and $50 x .5 x 1000 or $25,000 top end. If the number of homes is higher/lower, or the TSRs are less efficient, the costs will be higher or lower. That's not cheap when you're going up against opposition that has a budget close to zero. The fact that someone or some group is willing to spend so much money to get their point across only furthers the impression that what they're selling is a pig in a poke.
Perhaps all the residents of Haddonfield should view the Civic Assn. posting of last night's meeting, including the request of the Radnor neighbors. Naysayers? Bah! Caveat emptor (buyer beware).
While I appreciate the hard work the school board does and understand why they would be upset, the residents against this bill have every right to distrust what is going on. The referendum is still not clear, although let's face facts. It's going to be a Haddonfield sports campus with 3 turf fields. We already got 2 of them without any say from the residents. As for the commitment to open space, they've been yanking that in and out of the bill for the past year. They're only playing it up now because the PR for this whole project has a disaster. Let's discuss the merits of the tax increases and costs both hidden and down the road and how it's really going to affect this town.