White Oak allows outdoor dining

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

White Oak Council took action Monday that members hope will bring relief to restaurants in the borough that are trying to comply with government regulations regarding occupancy and in-person dining.

Councilmen Chuck Davis, George Dillinger, George Pambacas and Kenneth Robb and Councilwoman Julie Opferman voted to approve a resolution “temporarily suspending the borough’s zoning requirements so as to permit outdoor dining” at local restaurants. Councilmen Lou Bender and Ed Babyak were absent.

Council passed a similar resolution last month, but was forced to repeal it. Solicitor Patricia McGrail and Borough Manager John Palyo said that action had to be taken due to language in the July resolution pertaining to the suspending of building code requirements. 

“We wrote this resolution on the fly last meeting. Unfortunately there was a little tidbit in there that is not what should have been in there,” Palyo said. “We’re going to rescind that motion because it deals with suspending building code requirements. 

“… We don’t have the ability to suspend building code requirements. We have the ability to suspend zoning requirements so as to permit.”

He told council that passing the resolution will “put us on the path to allow The Rose, Luciano’s, Twin Oaks (restaurants) or anybody to be able to submit a plan on how they would like to expand their restaurant to try and get exterior seating.”

“The reason we made the change is, even though we have an ordinance that establishes your building code, building code is a state law,” McGrail said.

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