Common Council Approves
Main Street Closure, Dining
ONEONTA – Starting 9 a.m. next Saturday, July 18, and continuing through Sept. 5, Main Street from Elm to Chestnut will be closed to allow restaurants to expand their outdoor dining opportunities.
“It’s highly marketable,” said Council Member Mark Drnek, Eighth Ward, who chairs the Survive, Then Thrive committee. “Downtown Oneonta could become the Best Restaurant in New York.”
Restaurants will be able to place tables in front of their restaurants only, as well as determine whether to offer service or ask diners to order take-out. Patrons will still be required to wear masks where social distancing is not possible.
In the future, he said, additional tables could be set out, allowing diners to bring food from multiple restaurants.
Council also approved the submission of a COVID-19 State of Emergency Municipality Application to temporarily extend the sale of alcoholic beverages to the dining areas – and only to dining areas.
“You have to finish your drink at your table,” warned Drnek. “You can’t take it up the street.”
$11,500 in Community Development funding was approved for additional banners, signage and a Blutooth speaker set to play recorded music during the dining hours.
Why does Oneonta close it’s doors to New York State licensed electricians in favor of a small group of Oneonta licensed electricians that, for the lack of a better word, RAPE, Oneonta small businesses and home owners with their extremely high charges for simple electrical jobs causing hardships to its citizens? New York State licensed electricians charge, comparatively, very reasonable fees for the same job or service.
Wonderful,,,,send all the traffic through the neighborhoods.
This is a trainwreck about to happen.