Spotlight Delaware | by Brianna Hill
Newark’s controversial proposal to lease a public park to a local charter school has been withdrawn.
On Monday, the Newark City Council voted in favor of a motion – which wasn’t listed on the council meeting’s agenda – that directed its officials to end negotiations around the proposal to turn over Folk Memorial Park to Newark Charter School. The school had intended to build a $3 million sports complex there that would have included baseball and softball fields.
The development brings relief to opponents of the proposal, who said the sports complex project would cut down 6 acres of trees, disturbing wildlife and land that allows for healthy stormwater mitigation. Others critics contended that it would be a nuisance to residents who live nearby.
But the withdrawal of the proposal also leaves Newark Charter School searching for places to build new facilities for its baseball and softball teams.
Deputy Mayor Travis McDermott proposed the surprise motion on Monday, saying that he and his colleagues didn’t see a “path forward” for the land proposal – likely indicating that it did not have necessary support.
Following his comments, Councilman John Suchanec was among several council members who spoke in opposition to leasing the parkland to the charter school. He said that while he would oppose a proposal to remove trees for a “city ballpark,” one that would make way for what he called “private enterprise” was especially bothersome.
“It just doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said.
Suchanec’s comments were among several others that characterized Newark Charter as a private institution. Those characterizations sparked a reaction from McDermott who repeatedly noted that the charter school receives public dollars.
Ultimately, McDermott’s motion to withdraw the proposal passed by a 5-1 vote of the Newark City Council.
Newark Charter’s Head of School Sam Golder responded to the vote in a statement sent to students and families on Tuesday, in which he expressed his disappointment.
“It is even more unfortunate that Newark Charter School was not given the opportunity to present its full vision — one that thoughtfully incorporated community feedback through revised plans and alternate renderings,” Golder said in the statement.
Golder said the school remains “committed to finding viable solutions to strengthen and enhance our programming.”
Secret plans?
Discussions between city officials and Newark Charter around the proposal to build the ballfields started in November. But the broader public didn’t learn about it until last month after the Newark Post published the first news article about the proposed land lease.
The news sparked an outcry from residents who felt excluded from discussions about removing trees, disrupting ecosystems, and placing new sports fields just 150 feet from their homes.
City council was set to go over the initial proposal from Newark Charter on Jan. 27, but Mayor Jerry Clifton removed the item from the agenda one day before the meeting. Instead, he scheduled a public forum that would have occurred on Feb. 12 had the proposal not been withdrawn. The forum would have provided Newark Charter a venue to present its plans, and given residents an opportunity to share their concerns.
Clifton said he made the decision to hold the forum because of what he said were strong feelings from the public both for and against the project.
Still, several city residents, including former Newark Rep. John Kowalko contend that officials have not been upfront with the public about the proposal. In response, he and a group of other city residents filed a Freedom of Information Act violation complaint, arguing that the city never published an intent to initiate a contract with Newark Charter, and instead operated “in secrecy.”
Kowalko said he still is awaiting a response from the Attorney General’s office to his complaint.
At Monday’s meeting, Councilman Jason Lawhorn also noted concerns about the public process around the proposal. He strongly opposed McDermott’s motion, saying that he was not informed about it prior to the meeting, and that it would only further the public’s concern about not being involved in the city’s decision-making process.
“Last night, a surprise vote that was not on our agenda, killed that public process. Council to this day has not formally discussed this issue with the public and now it appears we will never get that opportunity,” Lawhorn said in an email to Spotlight Delaware.
Newark Charter School’s proposal
Discussions began in November between school and city officials about the proposal to build two ballfields for the school could expand its athletic program, said Tom Coleman, city manager of Newark.
The school’s proposal to the city noted that it did not have dedicated home venues for its baseball and softball programs. Instead, its baseball team plays at Newark’s Leroy C. Hill Park, renting the field from Newark American Little League.
The softball team uses a field at DelCastle Recreation Area north of Marshallton — about 20 minutes from the school.
Initially, there were talks of building ballfields in other areas, such as Iron Glen Park, but city officials determined those options were not viable. The wooded area that sits next to Folk Memorial Park then came up for discussion.
Under the initial proposal, Newark Charter would cover the cost of developing the fields, estimated at a minimum of $3 million. The plan included adding amenities, such as expanding the parking lot, adding a public announcement system and installing stadium lights. However, city officials recommended that lighting not be included.
The proposed 50-year agreement would have required Newark Charter to pay a small lease fee to the city, estimated around $10 a month. It would have also given Newark Charter full control over scheduling, maintenance, modifications, and subleasing to groups like little leagues.
Coleman stated that the charter school’s initial proposal would have granted Newark Parks and Recreation 30 hours of monthly access to school facilities that are regularly available for rent, such as a school gym, classrooms, sports fields, and auditorium.
He also said that any agreement would have required that the new ball fields be open to the public when not being used for organized practices.
Public concerns
Beyond environmental concerns, opponents to the proposal have also noted that the fields would have been built about 150 feet from the nearest houses – although a project outline called for pine trees to be built as a buffer between the field and homes.
In response, neighbors launched a website dedicated to keeping the park as it is. They also started a petition that currently has over 250 signatures.
At Monday’s meeting, many local residents, including parents of Newark Charter students, voiced their concerns about the proposal, even while thanking council for their decision to eliminate the plans.
“We believe that the project shouldn’t come at the expense of the community,” said Scott Melba, a resident of Highfield Drive.
Despite concerns, Coleman stresses that the proposal was merely an outline provided by the school to show what an agreement could look like, and that the Jan. 27 meeting would have been the time for council members and stakeholders to discuss the proposal and make needed changes.
Coleman says he takes responsibility for a “poorly-worded” memo that he wrote for the Jan. 27 council meeting, which gave residents the impression that council would be agreeing to the initial proposal without public input.
Others at Monday’s meeting, such as parents, coaches and baseball players from Newark Charter, expressed concerns that they were not being given a fair chance to share their needs and have a thoughtful conversation with the community at the previously planned public forum, which has since been canceled.
Although the proposal was voted down, some on the council still appeared interested in continuing the conversation about helping Newark Charter find space for their programs.
Councilwoman Dwendolyn Creecy suggested that Newark Charter consider Dickey Park as a potential alternative, noting that open space there could accommodate the project while bringing rejuvenation to the larger area.
“At this point, the plan is to go to council to get their direction on what they want staff to do, or not do, to work with [Newark Charter] to address the ballfield shortage in town. I expect that there will be an item on a future council agenda to get this direction,” Coleman said.