Lease dispute could force southern Indiana youth baseball league from its home fields

GEORGETOWN, Ind. (WDRB) — A lease dispute between a southern Indiana youth baseball league and the club that owns its fields could leave hundreds of children without a place to play.

After more than 35 years, the Highlander Youth Recreation baseball program, known as HYR, may be forced to find a new home.

The Georgetown-based league has spent decades playing on baseball fields behind the Georgetown Optimist Club, which owns the property and leases the fields to HYR.

Now, HYR President Jeremy Shumate said the Optimist Club is considering ending that agreement over disputed lease terms.

"It started off with a dialogue with some of their board members to try to address some of what we would consider arbitrary concerns, and they just discontinued conversation with us," Shumate said.

Shumate said the club is demanding unreasonable fees and has been unwilling to negotiate despite multiple requests from the league.

According to Shumate, the Optimist Club gave HYR a 14-day notice to vacate the property, setting a deadline of June 24.

But the club’s attorney, Cameron Fathauer, said league leaders are not being transparent about their finances and failed to properly renew an official lease since 2023.

"My client had been gracious in allowing them to use the fields and everything but letting them know that it needs to be renewed officially," Fathauer said.

Shumate disputed that claim, saying he shared HYR’s expenses with the club’s board and has documentation from meeting minutes showing a new lease was filed. Fathauer said the filing was not completed correctly.

"We just want to make sure everything is legal and fair because my clients have owned the property for decades," Fathauer said.

Now, the focus is on the more than 300 children who play in the league and whether both sides can reach a compromise.

"That’s the main goal — we want to see kids be able to play baseball, and if it takes us sitting down at a table and explaining that for hours, we’re happy to do that," Shumate said.

Shumate said Tuesday that HYR is scheduled to meet with the Georgetown Optimist Club Thursday morning to discuss possible next steps.