Pilot program for Newport entertainment district features designated outdoor drinking areas
Updated: 7:08 PM EDT Oct 27, 2023
A LOT OF PEOPLE TO THE POLLS, THAT’S FOR SURE. JOHN, THANK YOU. FOR SOME IT’S ONE OF THE BEST IDEAS THAT COULD COME TO NEWPORT, KENTUCKY. OTHERS SAY IT COULD BE A HEADACHE WAITING TO HAPPEN. YEAH, IT’S THE PLANNED OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT SET FOR NEXT YEAR. WLWT NEWS FIVE’S CURTIS COURTIS JOINS US LIVE RIGHT NOW FROM NEWPORT WITH MORE. CURTIS HI THERE, ASHLEY. HI THERE, MIKE. THIS WILL HAPPEN ON MONMOUTH STREET WHERE I’M STANDING NOW. AND AS YOU SAID, FOR SOME IT’S A PLUS, OTHERS IT’S A NEGATIVE. BUT IT WILL START WITH A PILOT PROGRAM THAT WILL INVOLVE THREE BLOCKS AND THEN THEY’LL GET SOME FEEDBACK AND IF IT IS A SUCCESS, THIS COULD STRETCH MUCH OF MONMOUTH STREET NEXT YEAR. WE STARTED LOOKING AT THIS BACK IN MARCH OF 2020. SO BUT WE TOOK SO LONG BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING. SO WE WANT TO SEE HOW IT LOOKED AND HOW IT WOULD FIT IN HERE. NEWPORT CITY MANAGER SAYS MONMOUTH STREET WAS AN OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR A DESIGNATED OUTDOOR REFRESHMENT AREA. HE SAYS LOCATION, LOCATION AND LOCATION. OUR MAIN STREET. SO NO OTHER REASON OTHER THAN THAT. IT’S OUR MAIN STREET. IT’S THE BUSIEST STREET IN THE CITY. THE OPINIONS ARE MIXED. AS YOU TALK TO FOLKS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SOME SEEING THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT, OTHERS SAY SAFETY AND TRASH ISSUES ARE HIGH ON THEIR LIST OF CONCERNS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS. YES, THERE’S TRASH EVERYWHERE. AND THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT DRINK. SO, YEAH, I’M AGAINST IT AND I THINK IT IS AWESOME. AND AS YOU SEE, WE DO SELL THE ALCOHOL. SO OUR PHILOSOPHY IS THE SIP AND SHOP AND WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF TABLES OUT THERE WHICH IS NICE THAT THEY CAN TAKE THEIR DRINK OUT THERE FOR A LITTLE BIT AND THEN COME BACK IN AND SHOP MORE. BUT YEAH, I THINK IT’S A GREAT IDEA. I THINK IT WOULD BE A GREAT THING AS LONG AS PEOPLE DRINK RESPONSIBLY AND ABIDE BY THE RULES. AS I SAID AT THE MEETING WHEN WE ADOPTED THIS, YOU KNOW, I’M NOT AFRAID TO FAIL. THE BOARD’S NOT AFRAID TO FAIL. SO WE’RE WILLING TO TRY NEW THINGS. AND AND, YOU KNOW, THEY MADE THAT ADOPTION OF THE PLAN AND DORA PROJECT. THEY DID THAT THIS WEEK. THEY STILL HAVE TO GET MORE APPROVAL FROM THE STATE. BUT AS WE SAID EARLIER, IF THAT GOES THROUGH, AS IT IS EXPECTED TO, THINGS COULD START ON THAT PILOT PROJECT NEXT SPRING. REPORTING LIVE, I’M CURTIS
Pilot program for Newport entertainment district features designated outdoor drinking areas
Updated: 7:08 PM EDT Oct 27, 2023
The city of Newport is moving forward with plans for an outside designated outdoor refreshment area. These entertainment districts allow people to walk around with drinks as they go from business to business. The hope is to bring more people and more dollars to Newport. It’s a project Newport city leaders have been discussing for more than three years.“We started looking at this in March of 2020. We took so long because we wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing,” City Manager Tom Fromme said.Newport’s city manager says Monmouth Street was an obvious choice for a designated outdoor refreshment area.“Our main street, so no other reason than that it’s the busiest street in the city,” Fromme said.Opinions are mixed amongst people in the community and businesses.Some see the economic benefit, while others have concerns about safety and trash.It will start with a three-block pilot program to give businesses and citizens the chance to give their feedback about the project. If successful, the Dora District will expand nearly a dozen blocks on Monmouth Street. The project could start as early as next spring.
The city of Newport is moving forward with plans for an outside designated outdoor refreshment area. These entertainment districts allow people to walk around with drinks as they go from business to business. The hope is to bring more people and more dollars to Newport. It’s a project Newport city leaders have been discussing for more than three years.
“We started looking at this in March of 2020. We took so long because we wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing,” City Manager Tom Fromme said.
Newport’s city manager says Monmouth Street was an obvious choice for a designated outdoor refreshment area.
“Our main street, so no other reason than that it’s the busiest street in the city,” Fromme said.
Opinions are mixed amongst people in the community and businesses.
Some see the economic benefit, while others have concerns about safety and trash.
It will start with a three-block pilot program to give businesses and citizens the chance to give their feedback about the project. If successful, the Dora District will expand nearly a dozen blocks on Monmouth Street. The project could start as early as next spring.
