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SALEM -- The downtown committee discussed potential changes to the city's Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in its July meeting, ultimately deciding to keep it the same for the time being.
First approved by council in 2019, the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) allows residents to buy alcohol from a participating bar or restaurant in a designated cup and freely walk around with it outside in the set zone, which covers most of downtown. Last year council approved an update to the DORA to allow it to operate year-round rather than only from Memorial Day to Labor Day and to allow for special events as approved by council. However, this update retained an exception prohibiting the DORA from being in place during the annual Super Cruise.
The DORA Committee questioned the possibility of removing this restriction, creating a survey and requesting feedback from cruise participants and attendees regarding the possibility. Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lori Jewell said that it had been a few years since the matter was last discussed and the committee wanted to gauge opinions on the possible change.
"I want to thank [city councilman] Dennis [Plegge] for at least being open to revisiting the situation with DORA during the Super Cruise. I know it had been a few years since it had even been looked at again. The idea came from our DORA Committee, just to have it revisited, so I appreciate you guys at least looking at it again, and I'll go back to the committee and tell them what everybody said, and hopefully it will die down for a few years," said Jewell.
Plegge, who also chairs the Super Cruise Committee and serves as cruise director, said that while he didn't receive many formal survey responses, he had discussed the matter with the members of several large automotive clubs that participate in the cruise each year, and that they would be unwilling to attend the cruise were the DORA in effect.
"The chamber made a form that anyone could fill out whether they were for DORA or against DORA at the cruise. We didn't have a lot of response as far as filling out the forms, but we did have quite a few clubs that came up to me -- the Corvette Club, the Volkswagen Club, the Hot Rod Club -- there's approximately 200 members in all three of those clubs, and they all told me one by one they wouldn't be back if we had it next year," said Plegge.
Plegge also noted that when he discussed the possibility with Police Chief J.T. Panezott, the chief was also against removing the DORA exemption during the cruise.
Downtown Committee Chairman Evan Newman said that while he understood the benefit of having the DORA in effect during the cruise, given the feedback that had been received it would likely be best no change be made for the time being.
"I think that given that feedback, as well as feedback from Chief Panezott on potential liability could be incurred as a result, while I think having DORA at the cruise would be great for our downtown restaurants, I do want to keep the safety of everyone in mind. I think that if that's the recommendation of the police force, as well as the feedback from cruisers and car owners, I think it makes sense [for the exemption] to remain in place," said Newman.
Jewell also suggested a campaign to revamp and promote DORA, encouraging downtown businesses to participate, and educating people on what businesses participate in, and the boundaries of the DORA, as well as promoting interest in the DORA as an economic development tool.
"Explaining the boundaries of it, what it is, what businesses participate, why you do it, that type of education," said Jewell.
Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey also reminded businesses that if they want to have a DORA event outside the standard hours, they can make a request to council to approve additional days, in accordance with the city's DORA ordinance.
Also discussed was the upcoming annual Freed Fest to be held Aug. 11-13. Sara Baer, of Salem Second Saturday and the Downtown Salem Partnership, said this year would see "a couple of new pieces to Freed Fest." New this year will be the Nature+Nurture Marketplace, a "boutique custom market," curated by Nature+Nurture with high end products to "bring a new vibe to the downtown," from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug 12. Baer said there will also be a yoga session at 9 a.m. Also new to this year festivities will be the "Rock and Stroll" beer crawl from noon to 10 p.m. Aug. 11 and 12.
The committee also heard brief summaries on the status of the city's AARP grant application and the recently completed Ohio State University Spring Studio project downtown, echoing recent updates by Sustainable Opportunity Development Center Executive Director Julie Needs in June's economic development committee meeting. Newman said that while the city's application for the AARP grant had been rejected, the SOD Center had received useful feedback, and were pursuing other funding opportunities to "enhance pedestrian traffic downtown." Newman also noted that as a national grant competition for funding was fierce.
"There were 3,500 different applicants from across the U.S. that applied for that, so there was tough competition," said Newman.
Newman said that following the completion of the downtown development plan as part of the project, there had been no "surprising remarks." Sustainable Opportunity Development Center Training and Downtown Development Coordinator Eva Slagle said that the students from the university had felt the need to examine the whole city rather than just the downtown area and identified several key items to address to improve downtown spaces including housing, safety, benches, and crosswalks.
Slagle said that while the contents of the comprehensive documents were too extensive to be reviewed in detail at the meeting, the study placed particular importance on the need for housing, and on safety elements such as crosswalks and benches.
mahart@mojonews.com