In approved areas, Hoosiers of age can now purchase alcoholic beverages from establishments and vendors and carry them for consumption within a specified boundary.
Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas, or DORAs, were legalized last year by the Indiana Legislature. According to the state’s website, 16 DORA districts have been approved through local ordinance as of July 16. They include cities such as Jeffersonville, New Albany, Greensburg and Fort Wayne. Other cities such as Kokomo have OK’d a district and are awaiting approval from the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission.
It’s an interesting approach, and one that’s also been taken by another Midwestern state in Ohio. The idea of allowing patrons to walk from one establishment to another with an alcoholic beverage is plausible, but it also creates some potential situations that must be monitored.
How will law enforcement be trained to know what’s an approved area and what is not? How will the public be made aware of the districts? If a visitor to a community happens to stray just outside of a designated district with an open container, will that person be arrested?
Are there plans in place to educate restaurant proprietors and vendors about DORA regulations? Will these establishments face penalties and fines if they don’t follow the rules? Will these districts create more work for local and state government employees? Who will pay for that extra work?
How will these districts affect what are generally considered family events? New Albany, for example, hosts one of the largest festivals in Indiana each October, Harvest Homecoming. With the festival area in an approved DORA district, how will the open and legal consumption of alcohol affect the event? Will it require more law enforcement?
What about the size of DORA districts? While some are compact and encompass mainly business and entertainment areas, others stretch for blocks and include residential spaces. Is that a good idea from enforcement and quality-of-life perspectives?
There’s also a general question of fairness that arises when government decides to allow an activity in one area and not another. Is it equitable for a person enjoying an alcoholic beverage on a sidewalk in a non-tourist area to be arrested when the same action is allowed elsewhere in the same community?
These questions and concerns should be considered and monitored by the state and local governing bodies. Outdoor drinking areas can be beneficial to Hoosier businesses, but they should be well organized and enforced.
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