The Tri-County Little League wants to renovate the Tresckow Little League field, and take over the Babe Ruth baseball field.

Except that someone beat them to the Babe Ruth field.

At the Nov. 11 supervisors meeting, Jason Gavinski, the current president of the Tri-County Little League, told the supervisors of the league’s plans.

“We have put $30,000 in improvements into the (McAdoo) Little League field, including to the concession stand,” Gavinski said. “We want to re-do the (Tresckow) Little League field, and use it for T-ball and a practice facility. “We’d like to do the same with the Babe Ruth field. We are not asking for funds. All of our funds come from donations.”

But Fred Mayshack told the supervisors his group, over the last two years, has taken over and renovated the Babe Ruth field as the home of teams in the Valley Junior Babe Ruth League, where players 13-15 play.

Improvements, which are ongoing, include new dugouts and fencing. The Tresckow teams are the first teams in greater Hazleton since the Greater Hazleton-Hazle Township Babe Ruth League folded some years ago.

“We have one to three teams who play from late June through August, and then September until late October,” Mayshack said. “We’ve put a lot of stuff into that field. Having other people come and take it over would be heresy.”

The Tri-County Little League was created when the former McAdoo Little League and Beaver-Banks Little League — which covered Beaver Meadows and Tresckow — merged.

The Tresckow Little League field has been seldom used since.

No tax increase

Property taxes in Banks Township won’t rise in 2025, if a tentative budget approved is adopted as final in a month.

The township supervisors approved a $383,600 spending plan that calls for the same 1.9 mills in property taxes as in 2024, the first tax increase in the township in 25 years.

Supervisor Charles Schalles said the budget is balanced.

The supervisors are expected to approve the final budget at their next regular meeting Dec. 9.

The township is looking for new auditors.

The township’s three auditors — Joseph Bodnar, David Bodnar Jr. and Mary Beth Pelley — resigned effective Oct. 18. The township now has 30 days to appoint new auditors.

An auditor is an elected position whose job is to watch over a municipality’s finances, including overseeing an annual audit.

The auditors are also responsible to set the salaries of the supervisors.

Anyone interested in becoming an auditor can contact the supervisors.