Troy residents to vote on outdoor refreshment area (DORA) on Election Day

TROY — On the ballot for people in Troy will be if they want a designated outdoor refreshment area (DORA) in downtown.

The city council and state both approved Troy’s proposed DORA in the spring but a group headed up, in part, by Dave Pinkerton got more than 1,000 signatures on a petition to push the DORA to the November election.

One of Pinkerton’s concerns is how close the DORA would be to schools.

“Dozens and dozens of (kids) come into the square, hang out at the rec, in and out of that. Hang out downtown,” Pinkerton said. “They are going to see these people with alcohol cups walking the square having fun. Do we really want that for our kids.”

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The idea was initially brought to Troy Main Street and executive director Andrea Keller by Heritage Ohio more than a year ago. Heritage Ohio’s mission, according to its website, is to foster economic development and sustainability through preservation of historic buildings, revitalization of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts, and promotion of cultural tourism.

“They actually did a presentation on the implementation of DORAs and how they benefited so many communities in Ohio,” Keller said. “Shortly after that our city was interested in pursuing the idea of a DORA.”

Troy’s DORA will encompass a 20.24-acre area including the Public Square and parts of downtown. It would operate Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. Alcoholic beverages purchased from participating, liquor-permitting businesses could then be consumed outdoors and in businesses displaying signage that says they accept DORA drinks.

According to information from the city, other communities have found the DORA provides an additional attraction for patrons, creates a destination for dining and entertainment, and promote building a lively, pedestrian-friendly environment in the area.

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“One of the biggest things is foot traffic is it will increase the amount of foot traffic within the downtown area,” Keller said. “We’ve done several events and things that are trying to promote more foot traffic, because the more foot traffic in your community, the more they discover new businesses.”

Pinkerton also said some of his concerns are nearby alcoholic recovery programs as well as a halfway house. He also has concerns about the DORA being able to make it easy for underage drinkers and saying that people will simply refill their cups with their own alcohol after purchasing one.

Keller did note that they expected to roll the DORA out in April so many arrangements have been made such as additional trash cans to try and prevent cups ending up on the sidewalk or street.

For more information on Troy’s DORA you can visit https://www.troyohio.gov/755/DORA.

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