Politics & Government

Emmaus Slashes Pavilion Fees to Increase Rentals

Emmaus Borough Council lowers its park pavilion rental rates for the 2013 summer season in the hope of booking more rentals.

Emmaus Borough Council had a basic problem last year – the pavilions in the borough’s parks weren’t being rented as much as council would have liked, according to Borough Manager Shane Pepe. So, Pepe says, council decided to empower Pepe and his staff to work on a solution.

The first step in that process, Pepe says, was conducting an extensive study that mapped out what was happening in terms of rentals every day of the week for each of the pavilions in each of the borough’s parks.

In the end, Pepe wound up with a lot of data. He can now assert that a specific pavilion was never rented on a Tuesday in 2011 or confirm that “statistically, on certain days of the week, some pavilions were not being rented at all.”

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Ultimately, this study led council to approve across-the-board rental fee reductions in all borough parks on weekdays and weekends for both residents and non-residents.

“There’s a price point that people are willing to pay,” explains Pepe, and last year, he says, the pavilions in the parks of Emmaus were priced beyond that point. “On Saturdays and Sundays for a non-resident (in 2012) we were charging $225, and you could get an entire fire hall for that.”

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Pepe says that the change in rate structure really didn’t get much marketing – it was mentioned in a borough newsletter – and the rental season really only just got started, so it’s impossible to tell whether the new rates have brought in more rental business.

But, he adds, anyone who is interested in learning more about the new rates or renting a pavilion in Emmaus Community Park, Borough Line or Furnance Dam can contact Emmaus Borough Hall and speak with Jessica.


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