Daily rates for use of the basketball courts at the Northampton Recreation Center are going up.

"At a recent meeting with [council President] John Yurish and [recreation center Director] Jason Kremus and myself, it was recommended that we increase the daily pass rate," said borough Manager Gene Zarayko. "It appears that people are paying $6 and tying up the courts for the regular season pass holder."

Residents will pay $6 for daily use of the courts Monday through Thursday and nonresidents will pay $12. Rates for Friday, Saturday and Sunday rise to $10 for residents and $20 for nonresidents, Zarayko said.

Before voting on Kremus' proposal, council discussed at length various options for public use of the basketball courts. Councilman Ed Pany said council should support Kremus' request.

Agreeing, borough lawmakers voted to increase the daily fees substantially for nonresidents. A recommendation to permit usage of the courts by the hour failed to gain support because it would require constant supervision and tie up personnel from other tasks.

Another issue raised involves unsupervised youth.

"We are experiencing a bit of a problem with youngsters who are unsupervised, being dropped off early in the morning and not being picked up until 5 p.m., therefore, we are recommending that anyone under the age of 12, member or non-member, have adult supervision [18 or older] at all times," Zarayko said.