Months of debate over the status of Christman Field ended Monday night when Lehighton Area School District’s board of directors agreed to maintain a $1 per year lease with Franklin Township in the same manner it has for almost 40 years.

Franklin Township agreed to pay the cost of subdividing the parcel, which currently also includes Franklin Elementary School and the soccer fields and track above the school.

Monday’s motion, which passed 7-2, calls for the baseball/softball fields to be subdivided, leaving the soccer field and school as a separate parcel.

The motion gained the school board’s support after two previous votes to transfer the ballfields outright to Franklin failed to gain the necessary two-thirds majority.

“Even though I hoped we would do the recommendation requested by the Franklin Township supervisors and the Franklin Township Athletic Association, which was an intermunicipal transfer, and I hope that agreement can be considered in the future, I’ll vote yes,” board President Larry Stern said.

Franklin Supervisor Chairman Jason Frey attended Monday’s meeting and said while the transfer was the preferred means of ending the property debate, the township was open to keeping the same lease agreement that has been in place.

While leasing the fields for $1 per year, the township allows FTAA to use them at no cost.

“If Jason says the township is good with the lease, I trust him,” board member Wayne Wentz said. “Let’s do this for the kids.”

Just before the motion that passed, Director David Bradley made a motion to lease the ballfields directly to the FTAA for $1 per year. The motion failed 5-4.

Bradley stated his opposition to Franklin Township being involved in the lease of the fields.

“I don’t think government should be involved in baseball,” Bradley said. “If you don’t make this for the kids, you put them at risk.”

With that motion having failed, resident Walter Zlomsowitch urged Bradley and the board to move forward with a lease to the township.

“This is one issue that has to come off the table … for the kids,” Zlomsowitch said.

With the ballfields subdivided, the remaining parcel will include the school and soccer fields.

Board member Gail Maholick pushed for keeping the soccer fields and school on the same parcel while the district tries to sell the school.

“If the soccer field is included there is no property surrounding the school to try to and sell,” Maholick said. “With a hospital going in down the road they may want to put doctors’ offices in there. If you take the fields away, where would you park cars? Where would the staff and patients go? You can’t give those fields away.”

Maholick said she identified at least four other places around the district that could be used for youth soccer fields.

The district left the door open to subdivide the soccer fields at a later date if it felt it wouldn’t adversely impact the value it could get when selling the school.