Social District Concerns, International Pier REDI Project Bids Discussed During Oswego Common Council Meeting

OSWEGO – Misconceptions over the intended use of the newly proposed downtown Social District proposed by Mayor Billy Barlow earlier this month were addressed during last night’s Common Council meeting, Monday, March 28.

Barlow responded to certain concerns some residents have about the proposed appropriate liquor allowances throughout the designated district corridors, along with worries about excessive litter along the roads and sidewalks, and an influx of drunken people in lieu of the proposed change.

“People think we’re lifting the open container and it’s just going to be a free-for-all, and that’s not what we’re talking about. What we’re doing is leaving the Open Container Ordinance in place,” Barlow said. “City-wide, there is no exception to that other than a tweak in the rules in this Social District. And the tweak in that rule is not lifting the Open Container in the district; it’s that if somebody is leaving a restaurant and they order a drink to go, it can go in a cup that can leave the restaurant.”

Barlow also said that any open containers of beer, wine or liquor are not permitted within the Social District area.

“This is much more controlled, it’s a certain targeted demographic, it’s very much a way to support people to visit downtown and make a night of it,” Barlow said. “You can take your drink after eating and go catch the concert at Veteran Stage.”

A public hearing for allowance of outdoor alcoholic beverage consumption within the Social District will be held at the next Common Council meeting, Monday, April 11 at 7:10 p.m.

Also during the meeting Barlow announced that the city is now seeking construction bids for Phase II of the International Pier REDI Project. Phase I of the $10 million project is now finished; the undertaking involving sheet piling around the perimeter, along with reinforcement and stabilization of the pier.

Phase II will include the beautification of the pier, making it readily available for pedestrian use and operation. The bid period will run from 45-60 days, the target completion date slated for sometime near September-October or early spring 2023.

“This is really the phase that the public’s been waiting for where we’ll actually transform the pier from a vacant gravel driveway to a pedestrian oriented and friendly boardwalk,” Barlow said.

Both Local Law No. 1 Public Hearing and the International Pier REDI Project bid opening were unanimously passed.

Other items unanimously passed by the Council during last night’s meeting are as follows:

• Approve minutes of March 14 Common Council meeting
• Approve use of public space – Brittany Rupert for a wedding ceremony at Breitbeck Park to be held on October 1, 2022
• Authorize mayor to sign an agreement with Labella Associates D.P.C. for Architectural and Engineering Design Services for the Conway Municipal Center Miscellaneous Projects
• Authorize the purchase of pedestals to be used at the Cahill International Pier and part of the REDI Project.
• Authorize transfer of funds from the Sanitary Sewer Equipment Account to the Sanitary Sewer Contracted Services Account for the Installation of a backup power generator at the DPW Garage
• Authorize transfers of funds from the High Dam Equipment Account and the High Dam Repairs Account to the High Dam Contracted Services Account for professional services at the High Dam Hydroelectric Facility
• Authorize a transfer of funds within the City Clerk’s Office for a temporary Records Intern
• Waive rules of Common Council to present Resolution No. 102 from the floor without Committee consideration

Common Council meetings are held the second and fourth Monday’s of every month. The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 11 at 7:10 p.m. To view the full agenda, please click here.

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