Council reviews pool concession RFP, considers food-truck limits and Penns Valley swim-team proposals

Borough staff presented a draft request for proposals (RFP) for pool concessions and council discussed whether to allow food trucks, how to set fees, and three operating options proposed by the Penns Valley swim team.

Staff said the draft RFP is intentionally simple (business name, staffing, menu and a financial proposal) and asked council how to structure compensation. The borough budget currently includes $3,000 in revenue from concessions for the summer season; staff said that could translate into roughly $30 per day if spread across the operating days and thus would be a modest fee for a food truck.

Several council members recommended prioritizing a concessionaire who would operate from the concession stand rather than rotating food trucks, citing consistency and availability during pool hours. Staff suggested advertising the RFP publicly and reaching out directly to local vendors and food trucks to increase interest.

Penns Valley swim-team organizers proposed three approaches: (1) pay per day (for example, a daily fee for a set swim period), (2) pay per swimmer (a seasonal flat fee based on roster size), or (3) run the concession stand for three home meets and retain concession profits; staff said the swim team reported making about $5,000 profit from concession sales during three meets in the previous year. The swim-team options remain under discussion; staff said they will follow up with final numbers and preferred terms.

Council also raised a liability question about lifeguards: if the team provides its own certified lifeguards, the borough asked how that affects liability if an incident occurs on borough property. Staff said the certification and insurance implications would have to be reviewed before finalizing any arrangement.

Staff said they will refine the RFP and post it publicly soon, and return to council with any responsive proposals and a recommended fee structure.