Re:  Hershey Trust announces more student housing at site of controversial golf course

The announcement above by the Milton Hershey School quotes Anthony Colistra, School President, saying:

” ‘We purchased this property as part of our plan to one day build additional student housing on it,” he said. ‘It is located immediately adjacent to our existing campus, and as we have said from the start, it provides an ideal opportunity to expand the campus so that we can serve more students.’ ”

The reason given for the purchase of the Wren Dale Golf Course does not agree with the reason given at the time the Golf Course was purchased . The following excerpts are from the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, article written at the time the Golf Course was purchased. The excerpts follow:

“Sun, Oct. 3, 2010
Hershey school’s purchase of golf course helped investors
By Bob Fernandez
Inquirer Staff Writer

“The Milton S. Hershey School, the nation’s largest residential school for impoverished children, purchased a money-losing golf course at the inflated price of $12 million in 2006, saying it needed the course as ‘buffer land’ for student safety.

“The price for the Wren Dale Golf Club, which had opened in 2003, was two to three times Hershey’s own appraisal and the fair-market value calculated by the Dauphin County tax office. One club investor acknowledged the deal helped ‘bail us out.’

“After acquiring the private course, the board members who administer the charitable school spent an additional $5 million to build a clubhouse, billed as Scottish-themed, with a restaurant and bar, and opened it to the public.”

When the Golf Course was purchased in 2010 at an inflated price you can read in the INQUIRER article that it states, ” — saying it needed the course as “buffer land” for student safety.” Second, the INQUIRER states, “One club investor acknowledged the deal helped ‘bail us out.’ “

From these quotes it can be seen that this is not what the School spokesperson is quoted as now, “We purchased this property as part of our plan to one day build additional student housing on it,” he said. “It is located immediately adjacent to our existing campus, and as we have said from the start, it provides an ideal opportunity to expand the campus so that we can serve more students.”

How can persons in high positions in Hershey make so conflicting statements? Another question that needs an answer is why did the School purchase more land when there are thousands of acres of farm land sitting idle in Derry Township where children homes used to be located? It’s not like they NEEDED the Wren Dale Golf Course. The truth has to come out about this whole mess.