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Resident urges Hawthorne council to revisit pool guest fees and asks about lead‑paint inspections
Summary
During public comment, Bruna Capalvo asked the council to review guest‑pass pricing at the borough pool—citing $25 weekend/$20 weekday guest fees and surrounding towns' graduated rates—and pressed the administration to act on a promised review. Officials said the change would require an ordinance and that staff will research comparable rates for the finance committee; lead‑inspection letters to rental owners are planned around Aug. 1.
A Hawthorne resident used the public comment period on July 23 to press the borough for action on pool guest fees and to ask about lead‑paint inspections for rental properties.
"I did a little research today," Bruna Capalvo told the council, saying she had compared Hawthorne’s guest badge fees with neighboring towns and found they were not graduated by age. Capalvo asked whether the finance committee would take up the matter; she said previous assurances to review the fee had not resulted in change. She noted current posted guest rates of $20 on weekdays and $25 on weekends and said charging the same fee for small children felt unfair.
Administrator Eric Mauer and other council members told Capalvo that a change to guest or day‑pass fees would require an ordinance (introduction, advertising and adoption) and therefore could not take effect for the current pool season. Mauer said he would compile a comparison of surrounding towns’ rates and present the information to the finance committee for consideration later this year. "We'll come up with a decision," the council president said, adding that any ordinance changes would be scheduled after staff research is complete.
Capalvo also asked about the state lead‑paint inspection program. Mauer said a letter to owners of rental residential units about the lead‑paint inspection process should be mailed around Aug. 1 as the borough’s contractors begin the inspection process.
What’s next: Administration will research comparative pool rates and present findings to the finance committee; any fee change would require the ordinance process and cannot be implemented for the current season. The lead‑inspection notification to rental owners is expected in the coming week.
