As the year comes to a close, here is a look at some of the top stories in Haddonfield in 2024.
After a decade of uncertainty, Haddonfield saw movement on the development of the Bancroft and Boxwood Hall sites in 2024.
Haddonfield happenings
Following backlash from the approval to extend paid parking hour to include Saturdays in 2023, the borough commissioners discussed and ultimately approved having free, 10-minute parking through the Premium Parking app.
In February, the Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project, the Haddonfield library and Franklin Township author Ellen Alford teamed up to hold a walking tour of areas historically significant to the Black community in Haddonfield followed by a book talk.
Haddonfield Memorial High School students held their first Multicultural Day this year. The day was an opportunity to learn about the different school clubs and cultures and participate in activities like cultural games, sports and trying cultural foods.
In March, the school’s 50/50 Club held its sixth annual art show, “Through a Woman’s Eyes,” that highlighted six modern women. The borough also began the process of updating its master plan, which was last done in 1984.
In April, residents participated in more surveys and activities to help engineering firm Pennoni Associates – tasked with master-plan recommendations – a better idea of what they want to see in town.
Following a series of burglaries and break-ins in April that resulted in at least one residence broken into and its car stolen while the owners were home, residents came out in droves to call for stronger safety measures in town and organized the Haddonfield Safe Commission. The Haddonfield Police Department addressed the safety concerns and explained the delicate balance of maintaining confidentiality for ongoing investigations.
Later in the year, Haddonfield Safe raised $18,000 to purchase automatic license plate readers for the police department in an effort to help increase public safety.
In March, Haddonfield Memorial High students performed “Chicago: Teen Edition,” which was chosen by former theater director Matt DiDonato before he moved onto his new role as Math and Science Content Area Supervisor for the district.
Haddonfield Middle School hosted a naturalization ceremony in May for 24 people to became U.S. citizens. Two benches at Mabel Kay Senior Center originally created as part of an Eagle Scout project 30 years ago were restored as part of borough resident Nicholas Enkeev’s Eagle Scout project.
After the Haddonfield Japan Exchange was interrupted by COVID, the program welcomed Japanese students back for the first time since 2019 for its 10-day July program. In September, the borough’s public safety team partnered with police and the school district to hold its first bike rodeo, where area kids could learn about bike safety and ride through a bike obstacle course.
Residents gathered on Kings Highway in October for the third, resident-organized Diwali flash mob, where they saw an increase in participants. The holiday event aims to celebrate the victory of light over darkness. The borough also celebrated Haddy, the Hadrosaurus sculpture’s 21st birthday and the 40th anniversary of an Eagle Scout project that designated the area where the dinosaur was originally found. The night market also returned for its third year as part of the annual Halloween celebrations.
New developments
The Haddonfield board of education held a special meeting on Sept. 4 to provide an overview of its bond referendum priorities.
The district made a decision in January to terminate its contract to purchase the lot and building at 144 Kings Highway West, which was intended to become an early-childhood center for kindergarten and preschool programs.
In April, after a decade of uncertainty, new plans were approved to revitalize Boxwood Hall. R & S Boxwood Hospitality LLC, led by resident Michael Pasquarello, was approved to purchase the historic Boxwood Hall to renovate it into a 10-room inn and to revitalize the grounds by planting native plants and food to be served in a restaurant inside the property’s rear cottage.
When Woodmont Properties was appointed the conditional redeveloper for the Bancroft site to build 120 luxury units with 18 affordable units, residents came out in droves to protest.
Following Kevin Roche’s decision to step down as a commissioner in May, it was decided not to appoint a new person within the 30-day period in favor of a vote to fill the remainder of his term. In November, Dave Siedell won the election and the vote on Bancroft’s redevelopment was postponed until he was sworn in as commissioner. Since he was not a commissioner when the ordinance was introduced, Siedell had to abstain from the vote. The measure was approved at at borough commissioners’ meeting on Dec. 16.
Throughout the year, the school district discussed concerns of overcrowding and worked to address its needs by preparing for a $46 million bond referendum that was passed in December.
Newsworthy people
The Haddonfield Little League’s 11U District Team became the first in Haddonfield to win the New Jersey State Championships in 2024.
The Haddonfield Lions Club in January named Jack (John E.) O’Malley its 2024 Citizen of the Year and recognized him for his contributions in town. He had already received a lifetime achievement award from the Haddonfield Alumni Society, and earned the 2014 Alfred E. Driscoll Award from the Haddonfield Civic Association.
Lt. Danielle Grasso was also promoted from sergeant to lieutenant, and became the highest-ranked woman in borough police history. Long-time resident Bill Brown was this year’s recipient of the Alfred E. Driscoll Community Service Award presented at a dinner in April. During his 56 years of living in Haddonfield, he was the founding director of the Mabel Kay Senior Center; founder and director of the Haddonfield Japan Exchange; organizer of the Haddonfield Pig Tail League; and former president of the Haddonfield Lions Club, among other roles.
