The Panther Valley School board tabled a motion to rescind an earlier decision to cut maintenance of the athletic fields located above the middle school as a cost saving measure for the district.

The decision to table came after a lengthy discussion involving a member of the Panther Valley Youth Soccer Association, Ronald Reis, and several board members.During the public comment session, Reis asked the board to reconsider their decision. "The school district does serve as a community center," said Reis. "I don't know what we would do if we would lose that field." Reis also questioned whether or not the district is required to maintain the grass to meet the borough's grass cutting code.Board member David Hiles said that he was insulted by a mass emailing that Reis had sent out asking people to come and support maintaining the fields. "You said it was politically motivated," Hiles said. "I'm insulted by that. It was economics, not politics." Hiles said that the fields were never designated as athletic fields. "If we want to let the forest grow back in there, we can."Board member Mickey Angst asked why the district cuts the grass for all of the other fields that are used by other organizations, like Babe Ruth baseball, and can consider not cutting it for the youth soccer association. "I'm prepared to vote to cut the grass. How can we agree to cut the grass for all other groups using the fields, but not that one," he asked. Angst questioned if grant money had been used to pay for the fields. According to his records, he said that when the fields were voted on, it was mentioned how much of the project was paid for with grant money. Business manager Kenneth Marx said that the only grant money that had been used by the district was for the stadium project.Board member Donna Trimmel suggested that the district start charging a use of facility charge to all of the organizations that use school district facilities.Later in the meeting, Hiles recited some figures, saying that the fields in question comprise over seven and one half acres. He asked for an exact cost of maintaining the fields, which was unavailable. According to Hiles, he had been told that the fields could be cut in about an hour. "I looked up the cutting capacity of our biggest mower. It can cut seven acres of ground in an hour, if it's running full bore for that hour," he said. "If our custodians are running that $12,000 machine full bore, it's going to last us a year or two. I don't believe they're running it at full bore." Hiles said he couldn't vote on an action without knowing the actual cost. Hiles also said that those fields are not actually used by school district athletes.Board member Anthony DeMarco said that he felt the soccer organization was being singled out. "If you do for one, you gotta do for all," he said. "These people have a right to use these fields."Trimmel echoed her original suggestion to charge groups to use it. "Do it for one, do it for all of them across the board. Charge them all the same thing," she said. Trimmel also pointed out that there have been cuts to PSSA coaches and afterschool tutoring. "That is more important that sports," she said.The board agreed to table to motion until an actual cost could be determined for maintaining the fields and other options could be examined. Reis said that the next youth soccer season will start in August.