At its regular meeting March 12, Coplay Borough Council announced changes in the way it approves key cards issued to sports teams and others who require access to the gymnasium in the borough’s municipal building, 98 S. Fourth St.

At last week’s workshop session, council expressed its concern over access to the gymnasium. Council received reports of unsupervised activities extending overnight into the early-morning hours. In addition, doors were reportedly left open, garbage was left behind and bathrooms left a mess. Council asked Stephen Burker’s recreation committee to come up with a viable program to control access but not restrict activity.

Burker presented his program, and the details were made available to all groups that have access to the gymnasium. Briefly, the new rules require that all groups and teams have one point of contact that accepts responsibility for the gymnasium. For sports teams, that is normally the coach. Key cards, which permit access to the gymnasium and the municipal building, will be strictly controlled and registered. Each key card requires a $100 deposit. Once the sports season or event is over, the key cards are returned to the borough. Cleanup is the responsibility of the event organizer.

The new rules restrict access to doors other than the front of the building for anything other than an emergency. Hours of operation were set as 4:30-10 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m.-10 p.m. weekends.

Council approved the new rules and tasked the recreation committee and the borough secretary with implementing the plan.

Councilman Charles Sodl expressed his concern about a request from developer DVS Enterprises to break up its recreation fees. DVS has an approved plan for apartment buildings across from its existing apartment complex on Coplay Road. The plan calls for multiple apartment blocks similar in style to its neighboring complex. DVS asked council to allow it to pay its recreation fees in stages related to the permit issued for each building. The plan was approved with a condition that all recreation fees are paid at the start of the project. Sodl’s concern is that the land is up for sale. While it is assumed that the new owner would implement the approved plans, there is no guarantee. If the new owner wanted to put in a different project, the new plans would need to go through the planning process. Sodl’s concern is the new owner could put up one building and delay the other aspects of the project for an unknown period of time.

“We approved the plan with the recreational fees upfront,” Sodl said. “We did it for a specific reason - we want to have facilities available for new residents. They are next to the borough’s valuable IRT (Ironton Rail Trail) asset and the new Saylor Park.”

Council agreed with Sodl and rejected the proposal to portion out the recreational fees.

Council tabled a measure to allow Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 access to the municipal building as part of its evacuation plan. Council is not opposed to the idea, but all the legal ramifications are not completed. CLIU was using an alternate location for evacuation, but that facility is no longer available.

During the meeting, council held a public hearing on changes to its fireworks ordinance. There were no objections to the proposed plan. The new ordinance brings the borough in compliance with state laws on fireworks, their distribution and sale.