Despite any efforts to the contrary, Kent’s Outdoor Seating Area on the north end of Franklin Avenue is very much alive, and will remain so.
Thus said City Manager Dave Ruller, who on May 7 delivered a civics lesson to a large group of citizens who attended city council’s first open session — Council’s Committee of the Whole — in Kent’s new city hall.
The OSA (the seating area) was never in danger, he said, noting that council created the OSA by ordinance in 2021 as a way to support businesses struggling due to the pandemic. Vacating that ordinance would take at least a year even if council had the appetite to do so, he said.
Also, only city council, which meets the third Wednesday of each month, can cast votes. Its Committee of the Whole, though it includes all the council members, meets the first Wednesday of the month to discuss matters that are brought to the city’s attention.
Ruller said that the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA, district has been so “super-popular” that council has enlarged it more than once and has committed funds to make it even more user-friendly. City leaders work together to improve downtown, and “we would never do anything to put that in jeopardy,” he assured the crowd.
Several council members joined Ruller in acknowledging that the city must do a better job at communicating with the community. Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala said social media can cut both ways, spreading information and disinformation with ease.
Before the meeting was even over, a post lauding the committee’s decision appeared on a Kent social media page, “You Know You Are From Kent if/when” on Facebook. “Yay, the people have spoken,” read one comment, implying that it was community activism that swayed council members’ decision to retain the OSA. Still another flatly stated that the OSA would close.
Most comments lauded the outcome, though one bemoaned losing her favorite parking spot across the street from a Franklin Avenue bar/restaurant.
City workers began blocking off the OSA before 7:30 a.m. May 8. Correlation does not imply causation: Kent Service Director Melanie Baker told The Portager the work had been on the service workers’ agenda as per the city ordinance, but weather intervened. She said she held off on the work until council members expressed their wishes, so the OSA closure began the next day.
Anatomy of a rumor
The OSA controversy has its roots in an April 1 letter Main Street Kent Executive Director Heather Malarcik penned to Ruller and Community Development Director Bridget Susel.
In it, she stated that 12 of Kent’s 32 DORA district businesses had anonymously indicated that the OSA “provides an unfair advantage to a small number of businesses and draws current and potential customers away from many,” she wrote.
Acknowledging that the OSA was established during COVID, when all businesses struggled, Malarcik said that “what was once a positive has become a detriment to some of our local businesses.”
She suggested the city keep Franklin open for the 2025 season while “sprinkling” picnic tables around on sidewalks throughout downtown. The city could also encourage people to use patios and other outdoor areas such as seating walls, benches and Dan Smith Community Park, she stated.
The matter was included as a discussion item on council’s Committee of the Whole agenda.
On April 28, the city posted on Facebook that city officials and Main Street Kent had over the past six months “received complaints from businesses that are not on Franklin Avenue who claim that their sales drop off precipitously when Franklin Avenue closes.” The post stated that the owners had asked council to “level the playing field” and stop closing the street.
The city began closing the section of Franklin in 2021 as a way to allow customers to safely gather during the pandemic, the post stated. It noted that the outdoor seating area remains a popular installment where families and friends gather.
The city’s social media post indicated that the city may continue closing Franklin Avenue or may institute “pocket park-style” seating areas spread across downtown.
The post generated dozens of comments, many of them charged with emotion and implying or outright stating that the OSA closure was a done deal. Taco Tontos’ ownership encouraged people to sign an online petition and attend the May 7 meeting to save the OSA.
Council members acknowledged on May 7 that people may not realize that the DORA district includes much of Kent’s downtown area and some areas beyond it. Ruller encouraged people to “spread the wealth” by bringing meals and drinks they’d purchased at any downtown restaurant to the OSA. Susel suggested the city install picnic tables and seating areas throughout the DORA district as a way to encourage people to frequent areas other than the OSA.
Acorn Alley, the plaza at the end of Acorn Alley and Dan Smith Park, all of which are in the DORA district, already feature outdoor seating areas, but council members agreed that more can be done to remind people they’re there.
Faced with the committee’s refusal to recommend that council close the OSA, Malarcik highlighted MSK’s Passport program, which the nonprofit organization hopes to launch June 1. Participants will obtain “passports” which they can get stamped by purchasing refreshments at participating DORA businesses. Those with stamped passports will qualify for donated prizes, and there will be an end-of-the season party at Dan Smith Park.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.