Monday evening, Chillicothe Council tweaked downtown drinking.
The DORA, or "Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area," has been praised as adding to the liveliness of downtown Chillicothe. But since the state has allowed it for only a few years, it's still working out some kinks.
Courtney Lewis sponsored a tweak to the two-year-old code, that council thought when passed had verbiage in it that did not require a permanent structure around the outdoor eating area.
She said places that already have one, like R Kitchen on Paint and Fire And Stone Pizzeria will be grandfathered in...but enclosures will not be needed in the future.
Lewis said the city of Worthington has been Chillicothe's model...for creating, as well as correcting, the law.
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Council also heard they were starting back up to evaluate city facilities.
Council President Bruce Arnold said the mostly new council needs to see what buildings the city has, so has has arranged a whirlwind four-hour tour in a city bus March 7th.
Then, they will start talking in 7pm third Monday meetings, starting March 16th.
He said the windfall of buying the former Pepsi warehouse was a benefit of previous planning. If there is a focus this year, Arnold said it will be long-term considerations for the administration building, and the future of the old armory.
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Hear the entire interviews below.
Kevin Coleman regularly reports on Chillicothe & Circleville councils and local culture