Thursday, September 13, 2012
The controversial plan is part of Bancroft public purchase initiative.
The Haddonfield Board of Education discussed its plans to install turf fields at the high school as part of the Bancroft purchase initiative during its regular meeting Thursday. The meeting featured a presentation from the engineering firm of Remington & Vernick. The turf project has been a lightning rod for objections over a $16.9 million plan for a public purchase of the 18.7-acre Bancroft property adjacent to the high school. Public opinion in three meetings on the purchase in July was generally supportive of the plan, which would acquire the property for current and future school use and to preserve open space. A sticking point was over the inclusion of funds to resurface the high school football stadium with artificial turf and to …
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Haddonfield Commissioners agreed to release 2005 Bancroft appraisal on the eve of Labor Day weekend.
The release of a 2005 appraisal of the Bancroft property on Kings Highway East has stirred concern among some residents about the public purchase of the nearly 19-acre property. The borough Board of Education and commissioners approved a letter of agreement in July to buy the property for $12.2 million. The 2005 appraisal valued the property at $8 million. Public reaction to the gap in the purchase price and the seven-year-old appraisal may have been muted by the timing of the release of the document at 3 p.m. on Friday, on the eve of the Labor Day weekend. The issue of the appraisal and value of the property had been raised in several public meetings in July. Borough officials agreed to release the appraisal in a work session meeting on …
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The school board meets tonight at the Central/Middle School library.
The Haddonfield Board of Education is set to vote tonight on a letter of intent to purchase the nearly 19-acre Bancroft property on Kings Highway East. Tonight's board meeting at 7 p.m. at the Central/middle school library is the third public meeting this month to discuss the purchase. The borough Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the letter of intent last week. The letter launches a 45-day process for the borough and the school board to appraise the property and draft an agreement of sale with Bancroft, a center for the developmentally disabled and acquired brain injuries. The $12.2 million purchase price is part of a $16.8 million plan to acquire the property, which is adjacent to Haddonfield Memorial High School, demolish …
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The BOE will vote on the issue on July 31.
The Haddonfield Board of Commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a letter of intent supporting a public purchase of the Bancroft property. The letter of intent launches a process that includes a $16.8 million bond referendum in January, if the borough school board also approves the letter in a meeting on July 31. That is expected to happen. The public purchase was largely driven by the BOE, which sees the Bancroft property next to the high school on Kings Highway East as a sort of manifest destiny. BOE and borough officials argue that having the Bancroft property publicly owned is key to preserving open space, and allowing for school and recreational fields expansion. They also argue that this may be the last parcel of its size for …
Monday, July 23, 2012
Haddonfield commissioners unanimously approved a letter of intent to buy the sought-after property.
The Haddonfield Board of Commissioners approved a letter of intent to support a public purchase of the Bancroft property on Kings Highway East on Monday. The vote occurred at an action meeting at the Municipal Hall. A complete agenda for the meeting is attached to this article. Officials stressed that this is just the first step in sealing the deal. The borough school board is set to vote on the letter of intent on July 31. The most important vote will be a public referendum in January on the entire $16.8 million proposal, officials say. BOE and borough officials argue that having the Bancroft property publicly owned is key to preserving open space, and allowing for school and recreational fields expansion. They also argue that this may be…
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The first of three meetings on Haddonfield's proposed Bancroft purchase takes place Wednesday at the Municipal Hall.
The Haddonfield Board of Commissioners and Board of Education held a joint meeting Wednesday at the Municipal Hall to discuss the proposed purchase or the Bancroft property. Public officials said they drafted a letter of intent to buy the nearly 19-acre property earlier this month for $12.2 million. It's part of a nearly $17 million plan to acquire the property adjacent to Haddonfield Memorial High School for school expansion and open space. Wednesday's meeting will be the first of three this month in which the commissioners and the BOE are scheduled to discuss the purchase. The commissioners meet again on Monday, July 23 and the school board will hold a special meeting on July 31. Both boards are expected to vote on the approval of the …
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Here's what folks are saying about the BOE and borough $12.19 million plan to buy the Bancroft property.
Tuesday's announcement of a blockbuster $12.19 million agreement for the Haddonfield school board and the borough to buy the nearly 19-acre Bancroft property on Kings Highway East was greeted with fanfare, relief and a healthy dose of skepticism. An informal Haddonfield Patch poll published after the announcement had 76 respondents as of 5:25 a.m. on Wednesday, with 56 percent against the deal and 43 percent giving it a thumbs up. The poll is included with this story and there's still time to register your opinion. The agreement was negotiated by one of three Haddonfield commissioners, Ed Borden, Board of Education President Steve Weinstein and representatives from Bancroft, a center for the developmentally disabled and acquired brain …
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The BOE and the borough announce an agreement Tuesday to purchase Bancroft property for $12.19 million.
They just couldn't wait to launch the fireworks tonight at the high school stadium, so the BOE and the borough kicked off the celebration early by announcing a tentative deal Tuesday afternoon to buy the the sprawling, 19-acre Bancroft property next door. The landmark deal, 10 years in the making, marks a signature achievement for the borough and the school board. Here are some of the details: Steve Weinstein, president of the Haddonfield School Board, and Ed Borden, borough commissioner, announce that negotiations with Bancroft Neurohealth have resulted in a proposed Letter of Intent for the purchase of the Bancroft site for public use. The proposed Letter of Intent will be the subject of three public meetings. The first will be a joint …
Monday, June 4, 2012
Many recent details of Haddonfield's effort to buy the Bancroft property have not been released.
Details about what's going on with Haddonfield's public purchase of the 19-acre Bancroft property have been scarce lately, but school board President Steve Weinstein recently spoke to Haddonfield Patch about two related issues. The school board voted unanimously last week to sign a contract with Bancroft to provide applied behavior analysis therapists for students with developmental disabilities, such as autism. The $657,236 contract is projected to save the district $95,000 by replacing 15 in-house ABA therapists. Weinstein said the contract has no relation to the board's ongoing effort to purchase Bancroft and does not conflict with the negotiations. "The two things are totally independent," Weinstein said last week. "They are a major …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Public officials discuss Bancroft purchase behind closed doors.
News of the proposed public purchase of the Bancroft property on Kings Highway East has been hard to come by lately. After several well-attended, high-profile public meetings at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, the plan is now only discussed in closed session in public meetings, which means the public is shut out of the discussion. It happened again on Monday when the borough Board of Commissioners voted to go into a closed session to discuss Bancroft at the end of a nearly three-hour work session that was open to the public. The school board has used the same tactic, as well. Officials have said some negotiations need to be behind closed doors, such as discussions of personnel matters and the purchase of property. They…
Kathi Boggs-Shaner
9:59 am on Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Dear Haddonfield Taxpayer, I don't think you've attempted to market your Haddonfield home for sale recently. As a Haddonfield realtor, I have access to industry facts that you may want to consider. As of the end of 2nd Quarter 2012, the average Haddonfield home was selling for 22.1% less than year-end 2007. By comparison, the average Haddon Twp home was selling for 12.3% less... the average … more ›