Next week, Coplay Borough Council will decide whether to raise Commitment to Family and Community's rent to $425.

In the coming weeks, council also will decide whether to raise rent for the Coplay Athletic Club and Explorer Post 101's train display.

The subject came up in January because the lease with the CFC, which has paid $300 a month for about five years, is up at the end of this month.

Councilman Charles Sodl compared the rent the CFC pays to that of the Coplay Athletic Club and Explorer Post 101 train display in an attempt to set a standard rate. He suggested charging 10 cents a square foot.

"Every organization and lease is a different subject. You can't judge one by the other but you still can use 10 cents as your guiding line," Sodl said Tuesday night.

Sodl calculated the CFC should pay $553. He suggested discounting that figure to $425 because the CFC provides space for the Coplay Senior Citizens group to meet 24 times a year. The seniors pay $1,000 to the CFC for the meeting space.

"We're looking out for the people that are paying the taxes and in this case the senior citizens are part of that so that's where that $125 discount comes in," Sodl said.

Council members generally agreed $425 would be a fair rent for the CFC but they were unable to agree on rental fees for the other two groups. Currently, the athletic club pays $41.67 a month and the Explorer Post pays $30 a month.

The CFC rents a separate building on Cherry Street and pays its own utilities. The athletic club and Explorer Post, which rent space in the municipal building, do not pay utilities, Sodl said.

Electricity at the municipal building averages $600 a month and heating averages $1,417.

Sodl proposed the athletic club be charged 10 percent of the borough's monthly utility costs and that the Explorer Post pay 5 percent of the monthly utilities, based on the amount of space each group is renting.

That means the athletic club would pay $60 a month toward electric and $141.70 for heat. This, in addition to a rental fee of 10 cents a square foot, would bring the total rent to $345.70 a month.

"Right now, we're collecting $41.67," said Sodl. "We're taking tax money and paying for this exercise [room] and gym. I don't think that's right. … We're not even breaking even."

The Explorer Post should pay $181.85 based on their taking on 5 percent of the monthly heating and electric bills and paying 10 cents a square foot, Sodl said.

Councilman Bill Leiner Jr. said he wants to talk to those who run the athletic club.

"Doesn't it make sense to talk to those folks before we make all those decisions?" he said.

Sodl called Leiner's question "hypocritical."

"What I am doing is fact finding," he said. "You've been involved with this from the beginning."

"That is not true," countered Leiner.

He asked why council only learned Tuesday night that the senior group pays to meet at the CFC.

"I gave you the facts," said Sodl.

"No," said Leiner. "Those are your facts."

Council President Lou Bodish asked when the rental fees for the athletic club were set.

Borough Secretary-Treasurer Sandra Gyecsek said they fill out a "building agreement" every year and no rental fees are attached to it. The amount paid has also varied from year to year. For the past several years, the athletic club has paid $500 annually or $41.47 a month but they paid $800 annually in 2001 and 2002.

"That even makes it more curious," said Sodl.

Bodish said he was surprised no one from the athletic club or the Explorer Post showed up at the meeting.

"If we're going to do something with the [athletic club], let's involve the [athletic club]," said Leiner.

"I got the floor. Now it's my turn to talk. Quit butting in," Bodish said to Leiner.

"I'm pointing out that we are spending $201.70 a month on utilities for those two rooms and we're only getting $41.67 in return," said Sodl. "At this point I am concerned about the money we are wasting. And that's the word I'm using. We are wasting."

Bodish pointed out a decision needed to be made on the CFC rent because the current lease expires this month. However, no immediate decision is required for the athletic club and the Explorer Post.

Councilman Carl Luckenbach said he liked Sodl's numbers. If the borough charged the CFC $550, the CFC might well ask the seniors for more money.

Councilman David Royer said he supported $425 as a figure for the CFC but said he felt the increase proposed for the athletic club would be a "surprise," implying it was too big an increase.

Councilman Steve Burker also said he supported the $425 figure for CFC.

"I think $425 is something that probably everyone can live with."

Councilman Joseph Groller also agreed and said he believes the CFC is much more of a community service oriented organization than the athletic club. "There's no comparison," he said.

He also concurred with comments made earlier in the meeting by Sodl, who said he found it "disturbing" that the athletic club has a sign on its doors warning members not to drop weights between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. when borough staff are working. Calling it "ridiculous," he said weights being continuously dropped could damage the building itself.

"Heavy weights should never be on the second floor of an old building," said Groller.

Royer said the Whitehall-Coplay School District charges fees for the use of its buildings and Coplay should be doing the same.

Leiner would not commit to the $425 figure for the CFC, saying he doesn't have to vote until next week.

"What do you think the dollar amount should be?" asked Sodl.

"I'm not going there," said Leiner.

Sodl said they were not asking him to vote. They wanted to know if he was comfortable with the $425 figure or if he thought the amount should change.

"I've listened to you and I'm going to let it go," said Leiner. "Forget it because you're going to start yelling at me."

"I asked for everyone's opinion," said Bodish. "You don't want to give us an opinion?"

Leiner said he thought $300 was cheap and $425 is a "good deal" for the CDC. "If I ran that organization, I'd be happy with $425," he said.