Lehighton Borough has given a thumbs-up to the school district's stadium improvements plan.

By a 4-1 vote, borough council on Monday granted conditional approval to the project. Council members Scott Rehrig, Darryl Arner, Bessie Bauchspies and council President Grant Hunsicker were in favor. Councilman Joe Flickinger was opposed. Council members John Kreitz and Helen Torok were absent.Approached after the meeting, Flickinger declined to comment as to why he was opposed to the plan.Council's action comes one month after it unanimously agreed to table conditional approval of the project until all the conditions listed on the borough engineer's letter recommended by the borough planning commission on Dec. 10 were met.Plans for the estimated $5 million project call for relocating the stadium from its current location to the grounds of the high school by replacing the athletic grass field with an artificial turf field inside the existing track; constructing a visitor and home grandstand, press box, 62-foot by 260-foot field house, 42-foot by 74-foot restroom/maintenance building, a 119-vehicle paved parking lot and a 100-vehicle grass overflow lot; and installing a new lighting system for the field and paved parking areas.