While no decision has been made on rental rates, the Coplay Parkway pavilion now goes for a minimum of $120.

At Tuesday night's meeting, Coplay Borough Council voted unanimously to lease the pavilion to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation for the resident rate of $120.

"The resident rate is actually $120, not the $160 I quoted last week," said borough Secretary-Treasurer Sandra Gyecsek.

The Pediatric Cancer Foundation had asked the borough to waive the rental fee for its March 28 fundraiser. The borough had done so for many nonprofits until the practice was questioned last week.

The issue of rental fees was brought up last week by Councilman Charles Sodl, who initially addressed only the issue of rent for the Commitment to Family and Community building on Cherry Street. The CFC has rented the former fire hall for $300 a month for several years and the current lease expires in February. Sodl questioned whether the $300 a month rent was fair to the borough.

"We have been fortunate from the beginning that our rent has been constant and has been at a very reasonable rate," said CFC member Jeff Hantz, addressing council Tuesday. "We do understand that an increase on our rent is inevitable."

Hantz and CFC member John Schreiner said the CFC is an important part of the community and helps many residents.

"It's worth is not measured in dollars and cents or straight donations," said Schreiner.

For example, the CFC allowed Relay for Life bingo fundraisers to use the building without charge. The CFC kitchen has also provided baked goods for a variety of causes and has donated food to families in need.

"It's a group of people who don't look for photo ops," said Schreiner. "It just gets done and nobody really hears about it."

"Since I'm the one that brought it up … I feel it's my responsibility to follow through," Sodl said after thanking Hantz, Schreiner and Dale Simon, president of Coplay Senior Citizens, for speaking in support of the CFC.

"This has nothing to do with any person or organization individually. It is not directed at any of them. It is a way to justify what we're doing as a government with taxpayer money and taxpayer assets."

Sodl compared the amounts paid by three organizations which rent from the borough to commercial rental rates.

The CFC building is 5,531 square feet, Sodl said. At $300 a month, the CFC pays 5 cents a square foot.

The Coplay Athletic Club rents two rooms on the second floor of the municipal building that come out to 1,440 square feet. The club pays $41.67 or 3 cents a square foot.

The Explorer Post 101, which has a train display in borough hall, pays $30 a month for 810 square feet, or 4 cents a square foot, Sodl said.

In contrast, it costs $1.10 a square foot to rent a public storage locker, he said.

Perhaps each of these organizations should be asked to pay 10 cents a square foot, which is still well under the going commercial rate. CFC would be paying $553, the athletic club would pay $144 and the Explorer Post would pay $81, Sodl said.

Sodl said he was not advocating charging these groups $1.10 a square foot.

"I'm just using that as something to match it against, something to compare," he said.

The borough also needs to look at fees it charges to other groups and for its gymnasium.

"Personally I don't want to cause anybody any hardship," Sodl said. "If this council decides that we should do nothing with this, so be it. I've done what I'm supposed to do."