HAVERHILL — The casual observer passing by the long-vacant Bradford College campus might not notice anything different — except that there is a chain link fence around the property.

But it's clear to neighbors who get a closer view that a major transformation is happening — and it will turn the property into an active college again by September.

Neighbor Amanda Waters has seen workers climbing up and down ladders, delivery trucks coming and going, and lights on at night in the campus's historical buildings. It's all happening as Zion Bible College moves steadily toward its goal of opening its doors to students this fall.

"You can see they're working straight through the buildings," said Waters, co-president of the Bradford Neighborhood Association. "It's just a buzz of activity, and you can see they are digging into the work of renovating."

These are the sights and sounds neighbors wondered if they'd ever hear again. When Bradford College closed in 2000 because of financial problems after 197 years in operation, families living nearby wondered what would become of the campus. They pushed and prodded the city to find a suitable educational use for the campus, and their wishes came true when Zion Bible College announced last fall it would be moving in.

"Most of the neighbors I've talked to think Zion will be a great asset to our community," Waters said. "People in their current community are sad to see them leave."

City officials say Haverhill's economy received a blow when Bradford College closed. They expect the entire city to benefit from Zion relocating here from its current home in Rhode Island. Zion chose the Bradford property because Zion could not afford the cost of expanding at its Rhode Island campus. Several other schools and organizations had considered buying the Bradford property in prior years, but those deals fell through, making neighbors fear the campus would become housing.

City Planning Director William Pillsbury said that in general, the economic impact to a community is two to three times a college's annual budget.

"Looking ahead, it is a significant multiplier effect," Pillsbury said. "We already have an advantage with Northern Essex Community College, but with Zion it multiplies. Having a college locate on the Bradford campus is a stabilizing factor as well. It's stability and predictability."

Aside from the direct economic impact of having college students and staff doing business in the community, having Zion College here can only serve to boost city property values, said Mayor James Fiorentini.

"Although it's hard to measure, if you're in a community with a college it makes the property around the college as well as property across the city more valuable," Fiorentini said. "The direct impact, although we have not measured it, includes the impact of 70 families moving into our community, plus students. Now we have two colleges."

Pillsbury said officials from Zion Bible College have been meeting regularly with the heads of city departments, including the Fire Department, Water Department, city engineer and building inspectors, to obtain the necessary work permits to ensure renovations take place as scheduled.

Pillsbury said there are workers on the campus grounds who are in the process of bringing the old historical buildings back to life.

"They are reactivating systems, including plumbing, electrical and heating systems," Pillsbury said. "We have every reason to believe they'll meet their goals of opening for this fall semester."

Pillsbury said the renovations include interior floor refinishing and re-carpeting, interior painting, exterior trim painting and the installation of storm windows.

He said college officials will be meeting with the Bradford Common Historic District Commission on March 3 to discuss proposed exterior trim painting.

"Before they can do any exterior work they have to go before the commission for approval," Pillsbury said. "I don't anticipate any problems with approval."

The Bradford College buildings sat vacant and deteriorating until the campus was purchased last November by David Green, the billionaire businessman and evangelical Christian who founded The Hobby Lobby chain of retail stores. Zion trains ministers, missionaries and teachers for the Assemblies of God denomination, of which Green is a member.

Green plans to make $3 million to $5 million in renovations to the property's main buildings and donate the campus to Zion.

Zion anticipates having about 400 dormitory rooms ready for students when it opens for classes at the 18-acre campus.

About 250 students are enrolled at Zion's Rhode Island campus, though the school had as many as 600 students at its peak several years ago. There were about 500 students at Bradford College when it closed.

Fiorentini said the college could have been converted to residential or retail, which neighbors didn't want, and that the city worked closely with the neighborhood to find an educational use for the campus.