Lehighton has approved a shortened lease for the Lehighton Recreation Center several weeks after it originally agreed to a 10-year indenture.

On a 6-0 vote, borough council on Monday agreed to a one-year lease with shared use, cleanup provisions, and a 4.5% or higher with 60-day termination clause.

Before the vote, borough Manager Dane DeWire explained that after last month’s borough council meeting, he and borough solicitor Jim Nanovic authorized Carbon County to draw up a new lease.

“The county has decided it doesn’t want a 10-year lease,” DeWire said.

DeWire said he believes it’s unfair to the senior citizens, and didn’t want them to have that stress every year.

He then recommended that borough council go back to three years and everything else it discussed.

However, Councilman Dave Zimmerman said he was OK with a one-year lease.

At last month’s meeting, borough council on a 5-1 vote agreed to write a new lease at the state Department of Aging’s-mandated percentage increase per year, for 10 years, which passed on a 5-1 vote. This year’s lease is $1,045 per month.

Zimmerman, who cast the sole vote in opposition at that time, told the senior citizens his vote had nothing to do with them.

Rather, Zimmerman said he believed it should be worded the same as it was, and that he liked the idea of not being locked in for 10 years.

Earlier during Monday’s borough council meeting, Helen Goetter said she was asked why she put a target on someone’s back.

Goetter said that everyone seated at the table are public figures, and that they don’t have to pat themselves on their back.

She added that if anyone feels fingers are being pointed, “you’re darn right I am.”

Goetter then heaped praise on outgoing Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky.

“Out of all of you, she (Abelovsky) is the only one to check the Senior Center,” Goetter said.

Goetter added that the senior center wants the totes off the top shelf so the seniors can get them.

About 30 residents attended last month’s borough council meeting, roughly half of which were from the Lehighton Senior Center, to learn the fate of the Lehighton Rec Center.

After several impassioned pleas, it was decided senior citizens in Lehighton may continue to meet at the Recreation Center.

In June, council agreed to increase the senior center rental rates to $1,500 a month as of July 1, 2025; $1,500 a month as of July 1, 2026; and $1,750 a month as of July 1, 2027.

Tom Evans, recreation director, said at last month’s meeting that the rate was $1,500 a month as of July 1, 2025, and that the agency came back with a cost of $1,045 a month.

DeWire noted that the previous 10-year lease was set up in 2015.

DeWire said that in early October, the borough sent Carbon County a letter with a proposal.

Within five days of receiving the letter, they sent a response to that letter stating that they cannot pay that type of increase according to the state Department of Aging, as the maximum they are allowed to pay is a 4.5% increase.

DeWire then sent another letter to the Department of Aging, stating the borough respectfully declined to accept the $1,045 rate.

He said he and Evans had gone back to the Carbon County commissioners to compromise, but that the borough never heard anything on that.

DeWire said one of the options discussed was taking it from a five-day program to a three-day program (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) in an attempt to save on costs.

After being approached by some members of the Lehighton Senior Center, Mayor Ryan Saunders said he spoke with the Department of Aging, stating the borough respectfully declined to accept the $1,045 rate, and noted this was not a council decision.

Saunders said he then immediately contacted the commissioners, who supplied him with the letters provided to them by the borough, and in turn, he spoke to some members of borough council who were unaware of what was going on behind the scenes.

Councilman Steve Hawk assured those senior citizens in attendance that “this was never an attack on senior citizens.”

Every day the senior citizens are provided a hot meal at a nominal fee, and it was noted there are 60 people that count on that food.

Abelovsky suggested a committee of borough council be put together to work with Evans to come up with a plan of action for the maintenance and upkeep of the Rec Center to ensure it’s being maintained to the standards of the senior citizens, Abelovsky said she would like to see a meeting happen before the end of this year.