While Lower Merion School District plans to convert part of an Oakwell property in Villanova into athletic fields, its neighbors are doing all in their power to stop that from happening, reported Joe Holden for CBS Philadelphia.

The sports fields will be used by the students at the new Black Rock Middle School, located just a few blocks away.

To build the fields, the school district will have to take down hundreds of trees, an action neighbors are hoping to avoid.

In fact, local objections seem to have gained some traction. Construction plans were revised earlier this year in terms of both scope and size.

“There are wiser ways than to meet their needs than to take a property that ethically deserves stewardship,” said Debra Robins, who lives next door to the property on a dead-end street. “It’s not just a piece of ground that you just do with what you will.”

Lower Merion School District purchased the Oakwell site for close to $10 million, which was a fair market value, according to officials.

Read more about the Oakwell site’s future at CBS Philadelphia.

_____

A tour of Oakwell, including information on its legacy trees, those deserving preservation for their a historical, cultural, and botanical significance.