Jonestown council approves baseball field agreements with American Legion

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On March 3, Jonestown Borough Council approved obligations, permissions, and reimbursements for the borough and the Jonestown American Legion after months of discussions.

Council members previously said there weren’t clear on-the-record agreements with the legion detailing its use of the baseball fields on municipality property. Rather, they said it functioned on verbal agreements with previous councils.

The now-approved agreements will be included in the meeting’s minutes, which council president Daniel Shuman said is what the borough wanted all along.

The Jonestown Junior Legion Baseball League agreed to provide a practice and game schedule, obtain borough permission to fundraise via signs, maintain the field, allow the borough to access the shed when requested, collect trash and waste, use borough water, allow anyone to use the batting cage, and maintain the batting cage at their own expense.

The borough agreed to provide infield mix to bring the field up to safe standards, mow and spray the outfield and surrounding area, reimburse the legion’s electricity bill, provide one portable toilet from March to October, provide a water supply, provide trash bags, maintain dugouts and metal bleachers, address wildlife and pest concerns, and post signs reiterating park policy forbidding alcohol.

Lastly, Future Stars Tournament Baseball’s obligations include providing a game and tournament schedule, maintaining the field during use, collecting trash and waste, renting the field for $450 for each tournament, and using borough water.

For reimbursements, the borough is putting the $4,900 it got from Future Stars toward the Legion’s 2025 expenses, according to secretary and treasurer Mariah Mauser.

The year’s expenses were $377.49 for field supplies from Jono Hardware, $23 for gas for the tractor, $820 for field spray, $480 for a portable toilet, $39.75 for Leiby’s field and lime, $6,990.11 for a batting cage, and $726.36 for Met-Ed bills.

“We’re trying to get the field upgraded, which it needed, and not put the burden all on the legion,” Shuman said after the meeting. “I know there was some back and forth, but that was the whole idea. What I was trying to do was get them to let go of it so we can get in there and get the thing up to snuff so they have a nicer place to play.”

Mike Carmel and Lee Campbell, with the Jonestown Legion, were both in attendance and thanked council for its approvals.

In other business, council:

• Voted to allow the legion to use the park for an April 4 Easter egg hunt and close off roads necessary for the May 25 Memorial Day parade.
• Approved Double Volleyball to use the lower field on Tuesday nights from June 2 to Aug. 4.
• Approved the Northern Lebanon Soccer Club to use the lower field from March 16 to May 23.
• Voted to replace two cameras at the park for $711.98 from the general fund. One of the cameras will face the top parking lot, the other down over the playground.
• Agreed to allow J-Rock to use the pavilion from May 1 to May 3 and Founders Park on April 30.
• Approved Friends of Jonestown to allow RAMP-certified alcohol vendors to sell half-ounce samples of beer, wine, and cider at the second Thursday and Fall Fest events. Council member Justin Shuey voted against the motion.
• Approved two donated lawn treatments for the Edward C. Spittle baseball field from Mullins Property Services.
• Voted that Mauser can get her pesticide license. She said it would cost $190, assuming she takes the classes and passes all required tests on her first try.
• Agreed to participate in a no-cost fire study.
• Ratified a pizza purchase for the Union and Swatara township maintenance workers who helped clear the borough’s snow.
• Approved an annual alarm maintenance contract for $344 from Reeds.
• Voted for Mullins Property Services to continue caring for the cemetery that is now the borough’s responsibility at $175 per mow and approximately 30 mows per year. This will be paid for out of the fund that the church gave the borough.

Jonestown Borough Council will have a planning workshop meeting on March 30 at 6:30 p.m. and its next regular meeting on April 7 at 6:30 p.m. All meetings will be at the Jonestown Borough building at 295 S. Mill St.