Greencastle Council set to tackle DORA proposal again

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 10:24 AM

By Paul Gable

Aguirre said the proposal would be tweaked and brought back, and that is slated to happen Thursday.

For the second time in as many months, the Greencastle City Council is slated to discuss a proposed Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) Thursday during its city council meeting.

A month ago, a proposal by councilman Vincent Aguirre and councilwoman Katherine Asbell to bring a DORA District, which would allow individuals 21 years of age and older to purchase alcoholic beverages from approved vendors and retail establishments and carry them outside to be consumed within the district, failed by a 4-2 vote against. Aguirre and Asbell voted in favor, while council members David Masten, Stacie Langdon, Mark Hammer and Darrel Thomas voted against. Councilwoman Tina Nicholson was absent.

Prior to announcing their no vote, both Langdon and Thomas were vocal about their displeasure with the idea.

"I don't need a beer in my hand to go shop. Come to Grreencastle. You can shop and have beer," Thomas said.

As for Langdon, she said the district did not fit her "vision for Greencastle," and that she did not like optics of people walking downtown with alcohol in their hands.

Immediately after the vote, Aguirre said the proposal would be tweaked and brought back, and that is slated to happen Thursday.

"We went back to the drawing board to hear the concerns of the council members who voted against it. I am confident they will appreciate the measures we made of removing the northern boundaries and removing Sunday from the Dora. I am also hopeful that they will hear the voices of small business owners who have reached out to them since last month and may be in attendance this week," Aguirre told The Putnam County Post.

Aguirre said while the Dora district is about alcohol, there are underlying issues that are much larger.

"We need to be creative in ways to support our businesses, and we can't hold back on anything that can help them. We need to hear their voices, think outside the box and understand that sometimes our own personal feelings aren't aligned with the greater good of all stakeholders," Aguirre said.