A quiet Friday meeting between Palmerton Borough and Palmerton Area School District officials has set in motion what could be the most significant transformation of the Seventh Street field in the property’s history, if both sides can reach a deal.

School board director Earl Paules disclosed at Wednesday’s PASD meeting that borough officials, meeting with district representatives last week, proposed placing their new police station on a portion of the 4-acre field the district owns along Seventh Street. Paules came to the table with a counter-vision of considerably larger scope.

“You can put your police station there, but we want a rec center here at Palmerton,” Paules said of his pitch, describing a facility with two basketball courts, batting cages and a walking track. “You can say you see people using (Seventh Street) now, but with this, you can see people there 365 days a year. You don’t see them there in the wintertime, you don’t see them there when it’s raining. This is a facility that could help not only the school district but the whole district.”

Under the framework described Wednesday, the property would effectively be transferred to the borough’s responsibility.

“It would be turned — and we don’t know about anything money wise yet — back to the borough,” Paules said. “The borough would be responsible for everything, mowing grass, all of it.”

The existing outdoor basketball court would stay, Paules said, along with ample field space used by the booster club. The announcing stand would also stay and the baseball field would be relocated to the opposite corner of the parcel.

In Paules’ vision, the proximity of a police station to a public recreation facility is a feature, not a complication.

“You can’t have a better rec center location with the police station being attached right to it,” he said. “It would take (the property) out of the district’s hands. There would be no more responsibility on the school district.”

The meeting included Paules, PASD Board President Sherry Haas, and Assistant Superintendents Ryan Kish and Dan Heaney from the district. No formal agreements were reached and no votes were taken. Haas was careful Wednesday to frame what was disclosed Wednesday in the proper context.

“Just to clarify, there were no decisions made,” Haas said. “It was basically a round robin — we were all sitting around the table throwing out all sorts of ideas from both sides, borough police and us as well. Of course, we can’t do anything until we have something to look at and vote on.”

The borough, Paules said, has already secured $1.5 million in grant funding toward its police station project and plans to continue pursuing grants and fundraising. A sketch of the proposed layout is being developed for public review, though he said it will not be ready in time for June’s workshop meeting.

“It’s going to be all transparent,” Paules said. “Everybody’s going to know every step of the way, and the public is going to be involved.”

Even under the most optimistic timeline, the project is years away from a shovel in the ground.

“This is obviously two years out, even if we start on it tomorrow,” Paules said. “They’re going to continue to work on grants, fundraisers, and everything to try to make this happen. I think it’s a good thing for the community.”

Contacted Thursday morning, Palmerton Borough Manager Autumn Canfield said the borough is “still exploring our options” and added “It’s a big project.”