Trending
BELLAIRE -- More times and dates are now available for legal outdoor consumption of alcohol in Bellaire.
Village Council unanimously approved Resolution 2024-1103 during its meeting Thursday, making adjustments to regulations that govern the community's designated outdoor refreshment area, or DORA. Among the new provisions establishes the use of the DORA for non-special events during the summer months of June, July and August. It states that the DORA will be operational from 6-10 p.m. on Thursdays, 6-11 p.m. on Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays during those months.
It also notes that no additional public security needs to be hired during those times.
A related provision states that the operational times for non-special events during the summer will "immediately cease" if three incidents of property damage, assault or other violent crime or serious criminal offense are attributed to activities within the DORA.
Another change addresses the requirement to hire two Bellaire police officers to provide private security for the DORA during special events. The cost of security is set at $35 per officer per hour and, since this is private duty pay, it must be paid directly to the officers providing the security, and the applicant is responsible for the payment.
The resolution also reduces the notice period for a special event from the original 90 days to 45 days.
It further establishes a $159 fine for any person found to be drinking alcohol in the DORA out of a container other than the designated clear cup imprinted with the DORA logo.
In other matters, Mayor Edward Marling reported that paving had started on several streets within the village. He said the areas that have been completed look like "super highways," adding that the workers have done a "wonderful job."
The mayor also commended Police Chief J.J. Watson and his officers for their handling of a murder on Saturday night.
Village resident Brian Alexis Nolin Melott, 21, is charged in the shooting death of 19-year-old David Allen, also of Bellaire. The shooting occurred at the Francis Wallace Apartments, located on 41st Street in Bellaire. Melott is being held at the Belmont County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond.
"I want to thank J.J. and his officers for the fine job that they did with a murder case up there over the weekend," Marling said.
Marling also had words of praise for the Belmont County Tourism Council and all who participated in its annual Heritage Trail Rubberneck Tour on Saturday afternoon. The self-guided driving tour included three stops in Bellaire -- the Imperial Glass Museum, the Great Stone Viaduct and the community's Union Park.
Also handing out Kudos was Councilwoman Elizabeth Dugmore, who thanked the Bellaire Citizens' Action Group for its work to beautify the community. She said those efforts paid off during the Rubberneck Tour. The group has been planting flowers, cutting grass around some village-owned properties, cleaning curbs and sidewalks and more.