Earlier this year, Bellefontaine City Council adopted a new health and safety plan for their Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA).
The new plan would allow the DORA to be in effect seven days a week and would allow qualified liquor permit holders to serve spirits in addition to beer and wine.
The original health and safety plan implemented with the creation of the DORA in 2020 allowed DORA only for pre-approved special events, and limited the type of alcohol that could be served.
“The DORA has been a huge success,” said Service-Safety Director Wes Dodds. “The administration was hearing from many local businesses that DORA weekends were extremely popular and helped to boost their sales while in effect.
“We met with Police Chief Brandon Standley, and confirmed that the police department has had no issues with DORA. With that information, we decided the time was right to ask
City Council to expand the original DORA rules.”
The city recently finished installing new, permanent DORA signage designating the boundaries where DORA beverages can be consumed. With the installation of these new signs, the previously approved DORA changes are in full effect.
A few facts about the DORA:
• Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
• Alcoholic beverages must be purchased from a participating establishment or event vendor. No outside alcohol is permitted in the DORA.
• Only two DORA beverages may be purchased at one time, and must in a DORA cup DORA cups cannot be carried into another DORA beverage selling business. DORA beverages may be carried into any non-alcohol serving business at the sole discretion of that business.
• Participating DORA retailers may now serve any beer, wine or spirt in DORA cups.
The city does plan to suspend the DORA on Saturday, Aug. 13, for the Hot Summer Nights Cruise in, as requested by the event organizer, the Top of Ohio Cruisers.
“We were happy to listen to the feedback from our business community and then tweak the DORA to benefit the downtown,” said Mayor Ben Stahler. “It’s another great example of how we listen and work with our local businesses to effect positive changes.”
For more information, visit the City of Bellefontaine website at http://www.ci.bellefontaine.oh.us.