NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – Community members can now enjoy alcohol in outdoor areas in certain parts of downtown Neenah.
In a 6-3 vote, Neenah alders created a designated outdoor refreshment area (‘DORA’) for several parts of the city’s downtown. The ‘DORA’ would be in effect from noon until 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. It will go into effect immediately.
“I think we’ve got responsible citizens, responsible council members,” said alder Scott Weber. “Responsible staff in the city and we’re going to do the right thing.”
The ‘DORA’ that alders passed is essentially a trial period. It goes through the end of March and then city officials will assess how things went and adjust accordingly if needed. Alders tell Local 5 News they can terminate the ‘DORA’ at any time.
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Neenah has implemented temporary ‘DORA’s’ in the past for special events and alders said the results have been positive.
“I think we’ve got a proven track record downtown with positives,” said alder Mark Ellis. “We’ve tested this program and had great success with it.”
A local business that Local 5 News spoke with said that they see more customers during the temporary ‘DORA’s.’
“Exponential people coming into the city, enjoying their time in the city and this downtown area is so beautiful,” said Matt Gloede who is the owner of the Santé Wine Bar & Bistro in downtown Neenah. “I think people being able to enjoy a refreshment on the street is a huge benefit I think.”
Not everybody was on board with creating the ‘DORA.’ In addition to the three alders who voted against it, there were several people who raised concerns during the public comment portion of the meeting.
“The pervasiveness of ‘DORA’ sounds like we are asking for trouble, kind of what the gentleman spoke about with the effects of alcohol,” said Neenah resident Jennifer McGuire.
Residents said they were worried it would lead to more cases of drunk driving, unruly behavior downtown, and that it would turn Neenah into a drinking destination.
Neenah resident Michael Sturn told Local 5 News he’s been sober for about four years and will avoid downtown now that people can drink alcohol outside. He said he wishes that the city would invest their time and energy into other things.
“A couple of things that I feel like we should be investing in more is the farmers market and bringing back festivals,” he said. “Looking into those things instead of encouraging drinking would be more beneficial to the community.”
Alder Cari Lendrum made a motion to amend the terms of the ‘Dora’ to have it start later in the day and only include the summer months. Council voted down her motion.
