ASHLAND – Ashland City Council approved an agreement Tuesday to allow Uniontown Brewing Company to lease a portion of the pedestrian alley beside the brewery.
Under the agreement, Uniontown will pay the city $100 each year for the next five years to lease an area extending nine feet wide and running the entire length of the alley. After the first five years, Uniontown may renew the lease for $100 per month.
If the business owners want to use the area for anything other than outdoor seating, they must first receive the approval of council.
Uniontown plans to add outdoor seating in its portion of the alley. The remaining five feet of alley space will still be available for pedestrian traffic.
“It’s a big step,” mayor Matt Miller told members of city council, who unanimously approved the agreement. “This is something we’ve talked about for a long time is wanting to open up the opportunity for outdoor seating downtown, and I would say this is a good step in that direction.”
Council member Dan Lawson asked whether smoking will be allowed in the alley. Miller responded by saying that while there is no provision in the lease agreement restricting smoking, he believes the business owners do not intend to make the patio a smoking area.
When the idea to lease the alley first came before council in April, Miller suggested the possibility of the city grinding down the asphalt to the original brick.
Miller said Tuesday that after conversations with the city engineer and Uniontown owners Doug and Anna Reynolds, that no longer seems like the best option.
The city and the business owners both have concerns about the unknown condition and uneven nature of the bricks under the pavement.
Miller said one option could be an alternative surface with a brick pattern that can be placed on top of the asphalt. A sample of the proposed surface has been placed at the entrance to the bridge next to the Ashland Municipal Building.
The city will watch to see how the sample holds up over time to determine whether it might be a viable option as a future surface for the alley, or even for South Street, Miller said.
Council also voted to authorize the mayor to apply for Ohio Public Works Commission funding through the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program for what Miller is calling the Center Run Trail Project.
If the city receives the grant, Miller said, Ashland’s leaders will consider purchasing properties on East Main Street and Cleveland Avenue near Dairy Queen to extend a trail the city is starting along Town Creek by Parking Lot B.
Miller emphasized the city has no interest in using eminent domain and will only move to acquire the properties if the grant is approved and if property owners are willing to sell.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, council approved the purchase of two new police vehicles. The cost is $45,000 for each of the Ford Explorers, including all the equipment needed for them with the exception of radios.
