The borough of Zelienople is considering an alcohol ordinance which would ban drinking alcohol in public areas.
The ordinance would prohibit alcohol consumption and possession in any public street. sidewalk, park, recreation area, and parking lot. Many folks are concerned over what impact this ordinance would have on local businesses if it is passed.
Fiori Moletz, owner of Burgers Brewing in the borough, tells KDKA Radio he's getting a lot of feedback from his customers, who are overwhelmingly against it.
"We've had a lot of customer's feedback. We get emails, text messages and phone calls, every 10 minutes it seems like about this subject matter. People are outraged, actually."
Moletz says he was told by borough officials that there are two reasons behind the proposal: concerns over insurance liability and keeping the borough a family-friendly town. But Moletz tells News Radio KDKA that he's not aware of any recent alcohol-related issues.
"They couldn't tell us when the last time they had to arrest someone or even give a citation for public drunkenness or anybody getting out of hand during an event, let alone just normal, everyday life," he said.
He said he doesn't like the way that borough council is going about it. "My whole concern on this was why is this happening and why are we moving so fast and so secretive about it?"
Residents are being asked to voice their opinion publicly at the Borough Council meeting on March 8th. Moletz says he does plan to have his say at the meeting.