Dear Parents,
I am delighted to report that the Radnor Township Board of Commissioners on Monday approved the school’s proposal to lease Memorial Field on Matsonford Road in Radnor Township for use as an additional playing field for our athletics program.
This is wonderful news, as more field space will allow for greater flexibility in scheduling and support programmatic growth. The Athletic Department will be guided next school year by Sheila Pauley, a seasoned educator and administrator who will be returning to AIS as Athletic Director in July, and newly appointed Assistant Athletic Director Katie Cooper, who will be responsible for the Middle School sports programs. In addition, with Phase I of the Campus Improvements Project now underway, additional field space will be needed to replace those that will be off limits once Phase II of the construction project begins.
As part of the 15-year lease, Agnes Irwin will invest $1.4 million in capital improvements on the Matsonford Road property, including the installation of lights and artificial turf, and bring it back into usage for a variety of youth sports teams. These improvements will make Memorial Field safer for all athletes and expand its usability into evening hours. Our current plan is to ensure the new turf field is in place before new construction on campus begins next spring.
This is great example of public-private partnership, as ownership of the field will remain with the township and Radnor sports clubs and other groups will have use of the field when Agnes Irwin does not need it for practices, games or Summer Session. And as a good neighbor, we are happy that our efforts will benefit the township as well.
We are grateful for the hard work of those who supported this effort and attended many township meetings all spring. This is an exciting time for Agnes Irwin as we launch a new era of building our athletic program as well as the facilities that support our teams and coaches. We have much good news to look forward to next school year.
Warmest regards,
Mary F. Seppala, Ed.D.