GENEVA — The final details of a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area are being worked out, and the new option for area residents and tourists could be operational very soon, Geneva City Manager Joseph Varckette said.
The DORA was suggested by the Geneva Business Association at a city council meeting more than two years ago. A DORA is created by municipalities through the Ohio Department of Commerce.
City leaders did their due diligence, researching the idea then working out the details, which included a lot of paperwork sent to Columbus for eventual approval.
DORAs are a specified area of a municipality that have been exempted from certain open container laws, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce. Within the DORA, patrons can purchase an alcoholic beverage from an establishment and leave the premises with it.
Varckette said six downtown businesses have applied to be a part of the DORA. He said designated plastic cups must be used to drink alcohol while walking down the streets, as well as a decal on the cup.
“We are very close to having our DORA activated,” Varckette said last week. He said the city was going to donate the first set of cups used in the program, then businesses will be responsible for paying for their own cups.
He said the cups should be delivered to the Geneva Business Association this morning, and the final details discussed.
“We are providing the first box of cups, and then it is on the [merchants],” he said.
Purple and white signs have been installed at the boundaries of the DORA, warning visitors alcoholic beverages are not allowed beyond them.
“This has long been in the plans,” Varckette said.
Geneva Business Association President Amanda Briggs de Lavini said she is excited to see the DORA become a reality.
“I think, for the GBA, we are looking to promote more people downtown,” she said.
She said she is proud the DORA will be the first in Ashtabula County, and has seen DORAs run well in other places. Briggs said Kent has a very nice DORA, and she has seen it work well in communities across the country.
DORAs are designed to bring people back to downtown areas to maximize business options.
While Geneva has the first DORA in Ashtabula County, Madison and Warren have both established DORAs, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce.