The downtown Cuyahoga Falls area has prospered greatly with new businesses and increased profits since the reopening of Front Street six years ago. Nobody would have expected how much this continued to improve however with the introduction of a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) last year. While this weekend’s Irish Festival temporarily suspends the ordinance, it may offer continued ideas for improvement as both praise and concerns have been heard from residents and businesses.
The DORA is designed to allow patrons to purchase alcoholic beverages in a specially-labeled DORA cup– purchased by the DTCF Partnership at 16 cents per cup then sold to the participating businesses selling alcohol, and then in turn to customers for an additional $1 fee. This allows patrons to leave the premises with the open container and continue drinking while visiting local businesses downtown within the specific area outlined in the ordinance: Front Street between Grant Avenue and Moe’s Restaurant at the end of Wadsworth Avenue. This is only allowed between 10am and 10pm and is suspended at times throughout the year, including Festa Italiana, Oktoberfest, downtown Trick or Treat, the annual tree lighting ceremony, and the upcoming Irish Festival. Not only are many of these events sponsored by or earn money for specific charities, large numbers of families attend these events, making safety a factor in this decision.
The $1 DORA fee is donated back to the partnership, a 501c3 nonprofit, to support their mission of enhancing and promoting the historic downtown, marketing and promoting the community and businesses, and organizing events to bring people downtown in order to stimulate the local economy. At the May 20 public hearing about the DORA ordinance, DTCF Executive Director Kaylee Piper revealed the organization has sold over 49,000 cups at participating businesses and events; total revenue after expenses has reached over $28,000.
“It proved successful for retail businesses as well,” explained Piper, further stating that after the downtown St. Patrick’s Day event, “our post-event survey showed a range of 40-45% increase in sales… Some businesses did see a decrease in sales, but also noted that people popped into the businesses to browse and they had increased visibility for the opportunity of returning customers.”
At the public hearing, residents and businesses had the opportunity to voice their praise or concern over the ordinance. With five people standing up to speak, the overall attitude toward DORA continues to be positive. Nonetheless, despite happiness about the influx provided by the ordinance, the issue of trash pickup remained a concern.
“We’re still not seeing recycle bins in the perimeters,” local resident Sarah Elliot remarked. “I would like to have seen the businesses out there [cleaning up]… While the community is benefiting for the tax revenue, these businesses are benefiting and they need to start contributing more than just taking and receiving revenues.”
The availability of trash and recycle containers appears to be a common issue among some downtown businesses with the increased amount of traffic during events like the pub crawl. Members of the partnership may have worked all weekend to help remove trash up and down the street, but it seems this is not enough for some businesses.
“We are a member by having participated, and we purchase DORA cups,” explained Sense by the Falls co-owner Marcy Imperi in a discussion with the Falls Free Press. “What are they [DTCF] doing with all of that money and why can’t they put trash receptacles out on the streets?”
According to the DORA ordinance, city staff are responsible for trash collection and recycle containers will be made available to dispose of DORA cups. During events where traffic is higher than normal though, businesses are also encouraged to provide their own recycle containers. Specifically for the St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl, the DTCF Partnership worked with the Parks & Recreation department to place an additional 11 residential trash bins through Front Street.
According to Piper, “I have reached out to our DORA cup supplier – Earth Cups – to see if there is an additional opportunity to partner with branded recycle bins for businesses, but this conversation is in the early stages.” HiHo Brewing Co on South Front Street currently has a special DORA-labeled recycle bin which not only ensures cups are recycled, but also prevents patrons from bringing another business’s drink into their establishment. When the upcoming proposed construction to South Front Street in the Fall is finished, according to Piper, there are also plans for additional receptacles. While these issues appear to come mainly during big events, for day-to-day trash, the current bins have proven to be substantial.
“The city’s Parks & Rec department does a fantastic job keeping downtown clean and enjoyable for visitors and businesses,” stated Piper. ”It is the businesses’ responsibilities to keep their own areas clean and presentable.”
In all, with continued room for improvement, the DORA ordinance proves to be a popular addition to the city of Cuyahoga Falls. “I feel that other than an increased amount of trash recently, and the St. Patty’s [sic] Day pub crawl, I still stand that it [DORA] doesn’t seem to be as bad as I thought it was going to be,” concluded Kelley Darby at the meeting, a resident in the DORA area.
