Lower Merion And Haverford Working On Agreement For Use Of Historic Polo Field

By Jesse W. Dimich, Delaware Valley Journal

February 22, 2023

The more than 500 majestic old-growth trees that stand tall at the Oakwell estate in Villanova could be felled to become softball and baseball fields for the new Black Rock Middle School.

But the community rallied to save the trees and leaders in both Lower Merion and Haverford Townships are working toward a solution.

“We are not giving up until Oakwell is saved,” said Holly Manzone, a grassroots Preserve Oakwell Group member. Haverford and Lower Merion Township have deliberated on a tentative agreement to allow Black Rock Middle School baseball and softball teams to use the Polo Field, located in Haverford, an eight-minute drive away. That would help alleviate the concerns of Lower Merion residents, who fear a 538-tree forest on the estate would be demolished.

“Any fields at Oakwell would damage the trees. Roots spread outward from the tree and are shallow. They would be crushed by construction equipment and damaged by the pounding of athletes’ feet on the ground. Just like damage to the capillaries in our bodies causes bruises, the same thing happens to fragile tree roots,” Manzone said.

Lower Merion Ward 6 Commissioner Andy Gavrin disagreed with the school district’s original plans and recognized the chance to work with Haverford.

“I think there is an opportunity for a win-win-win,” Gavrin said, though he acknowledged each entity has its own goal and there is still work to be done with the school district to ensure the best solution for the township and students.

The land the Polo Field now sits on was privately owned until the 1940s by former resident H. Gates Lloyd who gave the park to Haverford township. Gates stipulated in the 1944 deed to the land be “used as a playground, playfield, or park, at all times hereafter and forever.”

The Bryn Mawr Playfield Association was incorporated in 1944, following Lloyd’s plan, and is believed to still own the park, which is perpetually leased to the two townships. However, over the past 75 years, there have been maintenance concerns with no clear active civic association advocating to both townships for better care of the field.

Haverford Fifth Ward Commissioner Laura Cavender was approached by Gavrin to combine the use of the fields for Black Rock, which needs space for its baseball and softball teams. The townships’ officials deliberated on a tentative agreement in February 2022, in which Haverford Township would receive ownership of the 18-acre land. Cavender has vowed to keep the community’s interests at heart.

“It’s important the community is recognized, they are home to and love the park,” Cavender said.

Additionally, Cavender said there would be no structures built of any kind like lights or scoreboards, maintaining the current aesthetic of the park. There would also be no bus parking on the nearby streets and no vehicle idling, which would be enforced by Haverford police. That was a major concern for Haverford residents.

The plan still has holes in the eyes of some Haverford community members.

“The agreement needs tweaking,” said Wendy McGarvey, whose husband grew up playing on the Polo Field. She can see the park from her window.

However, Will Horne, a history professor at Villanova, sees the situation differently.

“It is not about schools using a park but public schools like Black Rock using a public park which is currently being used by private schools of Haverford Township. Lower Merion is not asking for that much and giving a lot,” Horne said.

The tentative agreement requires a $275,000 investment in the Polo Field that is designated specifically for improved community spaces, providing about $100,000 for an expanded playground footprint, and $50,000 for a small seating area with a shelter and trees dedicated to former Commissioner Andy Lewis, who passed away in 2021.

“The community understands what this park means as a community asset and these decisions can’t be made without this community dialogue,” Cavender said.

There would also be park maintenance with the tentative agreement being renewable, thus increasing mowing standards and clarifying maintenance responsibilities for the two townships.

“We have guarded optimism about the tentative agreement framework,” Brynford Civic Association President Jake Swann said.

However, Lower Merion must acknowledge the agreement to implement these policies. This tentative agreement can help improve the Polo Field for neighbors and the whole community and Gavrin is willing to work toward a solution.

Though the tentative agreement is gaining momentum among community members, there are still reservations about the tentative plan as it only covers the baseball and softball dilemma. Preserve Oakwell said, “LMSD still plans to convert Oakwell property into auxiliary athletic fields for middle school use, which will still degrade the area.”

Gavrin insists the two multi-purpose fields at Oakwell can be built within the open space without knocking down buildings and cutting down trees. Members like Manzone contend that to be good stewards of the environment, the land has to be used as efficiently as possible.

“It is better to solve the fields’ problem with a spreadsheet than with a bulldozer,” said Manzone, who protests outside the Lower Merion School District Administration Building, every Friday. “Rain or shine we’ll be there. We are not giving up until Oakwell is saved.”

Cavender reiterated the importance of reaching an agreement for the joint use of the Polo Field at a recent Board of Commissioners meeting.

“My goal is to ensure that there are enough opportunities for resident input,” she said.

Haverford Township’s next steps will include a survey on the Polo Field. And Cavender is expected to hold another public meeting later this spring.

“We want it to be like what H. Gates Lloyd would have wanted it to be and continue this legacy forward as townships working together,” Cavender said.

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