Panther Valley Knee-hi football will soon have a new practice field.

On Wednesday, Joey Matula, representing the Panther Valley Knee-hi Football Association, approached Nesquehoning Borough Council to ask permission to use a field at the intersection of Park Avenue and Industrial Road in the Hauto Valley Estates section of the borough. The field was previously used by the Panther Valley Youth Soccer Association but is no longer used for the sport.

“We hope we can use it,” he said, noting that the field at the elementary school that the knee-hi football team uses for practice was partially used in the construction of the new playground for the elementary students.

“This area would be perfect,” Matula said.

Panther Valley Knee-hi would care for the property, including mowing the law and keeping it clean.

Attorney Robert Yurchak, the borough’s solicitor, said that the borough would not be responsible for any equipment the association puts at the field.

John McArdle, borough emergency management director, added that the field is used as a landing zone when someone needs to be flown to a hospital, so all equipment would need to be stored around the perimeter of the field so that a helicopter can safely land in the field.

Matula said that would be no problem.

Council asked how much the field would be used.

Matula said right now the association would use it for practice since it currently has an agreement with the Panther Valley School District to use the stadium for its four home games, but changing that to include games at the Nesquehoning field in the future isn’t out of the question since it costs the association $2,500 a year for the stadium now.

Council approved the association’s request pending all necessary agreements are signed.

Fire grant

Nesquehoning Borough Council also voted to apply for a Local Share Account grant on behalf of the Hauto Volunteer Fire Department for a new brush rescue truck. The grant the department is applying for is $143,000.

Randy Kraus of the fire department approached council last month regarding the support and has asked for more information.

At that meeting, Kraus said that the new truck, if the department is successful in securing the funds, would replace a 33-year-old piece of equipment that is used in emergencies such as the rescues at Glen Onoko.

Council agreed that it would file the application, but members noted that council is not agreeing to provide any additional funding if the fire company does not receive the full amount for the truck, because New Columbus Fire Company is the next in line for a new apparatus through the borough.