Utica extends outdoor dining another month

Utica extended outdoor dining on Mill Street until the night of Aug. 13 – but whether Mill Street stays closed any longer than that remains a big question.

Thursday, the Utica Village Board voted 4-2 to give restaurants hard-hit by the novel coronavirus another month to serve patrons outdoors while indoor dining remains restricted.

But the board acted not because the business community unanimously supports it – complaints over parking and disabled access have arisen -- but rather because the ordinance permitting it would have lapsed without an extension. Village trustees signaled they might not permit outdoor dining through the end of summer as proposed weeks earlier.

“Coronavirus took everybody by surprise and I thought this was a temporary fix,” trustee John Schweickert said. “It worked out well at first, but coronavirus is not going away. Social distancing is not going away.”

Trustees Ron and Mary Pawlak voted no.

“Myself, I got more complaints over the outdoor dining than I ever did over tables on the sidewalks,” Mary Pawlak said, adding later, “It’s just getting out of hand.”

“It was a great success,” Ron Pawlak said, “but I think it’s outlived its usefulness.”

The idea of turning Mill Street into a dining area began as an accommodation to restaurants hard-hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic and, initially, it was well-received. Since then, issues have arisen such as trash, limited parking and handicapped accessibility. Trustees who weeks ago reported overwhelmingly positive feedback now say they’re hearing from a growing number of objectors.