CAMDEN
COLTNTY
BRANCH
No'ho*r,al
Agod,atinw
FOR
THE,
Aetr*ort*,yrrr**wt
of
doren,
e-?1*,
July
18,
2017
Bob
Martin,
CommissionerNew
Jersey
Department
of
Environmental
Protection401 E.
State Street
7t1'floor, East
Wing
P.O.
Box
402Trenton,
NJ
08625-0402Dear
Commissioner Martin:
I
am
writing to
request
a meeting
with
you
to
discnss
our
organization's environmental justiceconcems
in
the plans
for
the
imminent demolition
of
Carnden
High
School and
solicit
yoursuppott
in
saving
the historically significant
edifice.
Our
areas
of
concern include.
but
are
not
Iimited
to:
historic
preservation
issues,
environmental
issues
and
the lack
of
due
process.
I
respectfully
request a
meeting
with
you,
your
designees, and members
of
the
NAACP to
discuss
our
concerns
and how they
will
be
addressed
prior
to
the
advancement
of
the demolition
of
Camden
High
School.Camden
High
School, affectionately
known
statewide as'oThe Castle on
the
Hill
was
the firsthigh
school
in
the
city
of
Camden.
It
was
established
in
1891
and
has been
accredited
by
the
Middle
States
Associations
of
Colleges and Schools Commission
on
Secondary
Schools
since
1929. The cornerstone
of
the
current
building
located
at
1700
Park
Blvd.
was
laid
on
October
14.
1916,
over
100 hundred years ago.
The school
was
built
on
an
18
acre
parcel
of
land located
in
the
Forest
Hill
Park. adjacent
to
what
is
known today
as
Famham
Park.
It
opened
its
doors
to
a
coed population
of
students
in
the
fall
of
l918
and has since then
been
the
cify's
largest high
school. Camden
High
School's
architecture
is
a
critical
component
to
its
identity,
its place
in,
and
its
impact on
the community.
At
its
inception
in
1913,
the
surrounding
Parkside neighborhoodwas one
of
Camden's most
elite
neighborhoods
and
today
it
continues
to
boast one
of the
highest
homeownership rates
of
all
the
citli's
census
tracts.
With
this
esteemed
status
for
over
one
hundred years,
what
happens
in
Parkside, one
of
Camden's
strongest
links,
impacts the
sense
of
place
and pride
for
all
current
and
former
Camden
City
residents. Camden
High
School,
tlreo'Castle
on
the
Hill
is
a
critical,
strategic,
defining
piece
of
the tapestry that
forms
sense
of
place,
history,
and
cultural identity in the
Parkside neighborhood
and
City of
Camden.
As
local
officials
plan
to
demolish
Camden
High
School by the
end
of
2017,
one
of
our primary
concems
is
the
historic
preservation
of this
culturally
and
architecturally significant
site.
Camden
High
School
received
a
Certification
of Eligibility
(HPO
Project
17-042'
HPO L2016-161) fromthe
NJ
Historic
Preservation
Office
in
January
2077,
and
was
named
one
of
2017's Ten
Most
Endangered
Historic
Sites
by
Preservation
New
Jersey.
As
the
Certification
of Eligibility
notes,
Camden
High
School
is
among
the most
architecturally distinguished
early twentieth
century
school buildings
in
the
state.
In
addition,
an
application was
submitted
to
the
NJ
Historic
Preservation
Office
in April
2017
to
have
the property listed on the
New
Jersey and
National
Official
Organ: THE
CRISIS
Office:
1123 % Kaighn Ave.Camden,
N.J.08103
Phone:
(856)
278-2326
Fax:
(856) 728-6608Email: Camdennaacp20S0@aol.com
Registers
of
Historic
Places.
Local
partners submitted
the
nomination
with the
intention
of
having
it
included on the
July 2017
agenda
of
the
NJ
State
Review Board,
but
unfoffunately,
it
was
unable
to
be
reviewed
by
the
Camden
City
School
District
in time
for.luly
inclusion.
The
next
meeting takes place in
November,
and we
would like
full
consideration
given to
its
inclusionat that
time.
Camden
High
School is
the
oldest
standing
high
school
in
tlie city of
Camden
andhas
long
served
as
a
symbol
of
hope and
mobility for
generations
of
young
residents. We implore
you
to help
us ensure
that Camden
High
School's
critical
history
is
preserved,
We'd like to
discuss possible
contingency
plans
to
erlsure
that
Camden
High
School's importantlegacy
is
not lost
and
how'
the public
will
be involved
in
this
process
if
dernolition
cannot
be
avoided.
We
are
primarily
concerned about the
rnanifold environmental
irnpacts
this demolitionproject
will
have
on
adjacent
parks
and
residents' health.
Camden
High
School is
located
at
theedge
of
a
residential neighborhood
surrounded schools, residences, senior
citizens'home
arrd
by
historic
urban parkland,
including
parks
that have received both
State Green
Acres and
Federal
UPRR
funding.
There
is
also
a
nearby
25-acre
park called
Gateway
Park
whose cleanup
is
underway
for
future
open
space.
We
are also
concerned
aboLrt
site remediation
issues
and
proximity of
this
proposed
project to
the
Cooper
River.
We
are concerned that
the dernolition
of
this
school
will
outcompete these
efforts in
making
Camden
City
a more beautiful
place
to
live
and
to
stand
in
the
way of this
progress.
Finally,
Camden
City
community
has
not
received
due process
in
decision making surroundingthe
demolition
and
reconstruction
of
a
place
that holds
such great
community
significance.
The
principles
of
environmentaljustice
demand
that there should be
fair
treatment
and
meaningfulinvolvement
of all
people in
projects that
will
have
a
great
impact
on
their quality
of
life.
Thereare
a significant
number
of
environmental
concerns
that warrant
a
full
review
and
slowing down
the process
until
due
process
is
realized and
all
regulations
are
met.
Due process
is
critical.
The
community should
be
engaged,
our
concems vetted, and
Carnden
High
School should
not
be
destroyed.Thank
you
for
your
consideration,
and
I
look forward to
hearing
from you
soon.
Sincerely,
6p.^_*Jt
Darnell Hardrvick
President, Camden County
NAACP
C:
Rich6
S.
Outlaw, Coordinator,
Office
of EnvironmentalJustice
Katherine
J.
Marcopul, Administrator
and
Deputy
State
Historic
Preservation
Officer
Charles
McKenna,
Executive
Director, New
Jersey
School Developrnent
Authority
Paymon
Rouhanifard,
Superintendent, Camden
City
Public
Schools
############
Founded
in 1909,
the
NAACP is
the nation's oldest and largest
civil rights
organization.
lts
members throughout the United States
and
the
world
are the premier advocates
for civil rights
in
their
communities,
conducting voter
mobilization and monitoring equal
opportunity
in
educationand
in
the public
and
private
sectors.
The NAACP is
organized into State Conferences
and
Regions,
and
the
New
Jersey State Conference
has 42
units
or
branches
throughout
the state.
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