Franklin Township has received $25,000 through the Local Share Account Monroe Continuous County Project Recommendations for improvements at Christman Ball Field.

The funds will be used to construct a parking lot at Christman Memorial Field, providing access to the new T-ball field and playground at the site.

Plans call for a septic system design to enable the construction of two Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathrooms at the northeast corner and the southern corner.

In September, the supervisors voted to apply for a Local Share Account Grant for the second phase of the Christman Ball Field renovation plan.

The board requested an LSA from the Commonwealth Financing Authority on behalf of the Franklin Township Athletic Association for Phase II of the project.

That included $114,488 for Project A, Accessible Playground; $142,043 for Project B, Accessible T-ball field; and $29,436 for Project C, Accessible Parking Lot.

Last year, Barry applied for a Monroe County Local Share Account grant for the combined project of baseball and T-ball fields, along with the playground and parking lot.

In April 2024, the supervisors named Joseph Zutcofski from Carbon Engineering as project manager for the Department of Community and Economic Development grant for the Christman Ball Field plan.

The second phase will include a T-ball field in the northeast corner of the field, a playground area and a new parking area.

The cost for the playground itself is $128,000, $130,000 for the field, and about another $25,000, so they requested a grant from Department of Community & Economic Development for $332,000.

The project received a grant from the department through the Greenways, Trails and Recreation fund.

The grant is for $212,0000, and there was an additional matching amount of $37,000, which brings the total received to just under $250,000 to upgrade the recreation complex.

The first grant is for the initial phase, which calls for paving the roadway into the complex and curbing along the entire roadway, which is necessary because of drainage issues.

The other part of the grant includes a new parking area made of crushed stone, with room for about 100 vehicles.

The project includes a paved parking area for accessibility, trails that will lead from the handicapped area to the refreshment stand, a covered patio with eight picnic tables — two certified for use by the disabled and a full-size Little League compliant field.