CANAAN VALLEY, W.Va. — More West Virginia mayors may consider a Public Outdoor Designated Area (PODA) in their cities and towns much like Huntington and Charleston.
PODA rules were among the topics discussed at last week’s West Virginia Municipal League fall meeting held at Canaan Valley Resort in Tucker County.
Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said the legislation, which allows for people in certain areas of the city order and take alcoholic beverages to-go, is working, but there are still some areas that need to be ironed out.
“Even though that bill just recently passed, there were some challenges within that piece of legislation that mayors and city managers across the Mountain State are finding. We know now there are some senators and delegates that want to tweak that because of the comments that were received back,” Goodwin told MetroNews Monday.
Charleston started allowing for the district to operate earlier this month. Huntington implemented their PODA in September.
Goodwin said she wants to talk to business owners and other city leaders out-of-state to make those districts even better.
“Meeting individually with restaurants, with bars and clothing shops that may not serve alcohol. Do you want folks coming in with their cup? And you don’t have to have folks coming in with their cup. How do those rules work for you?” she said.
Goodwin said it’s been beneficial to listen and learn about these issues before the 2024 Regular Legislative Session in January.
“What are some of the issues that are top of mind and tip of tongue to senators and delegates? And also some of the things that we would like to see,” she said.
There’s always a common theme whenever mayors meet to talk about the problems and achievements in their neighborhoods, Goodwin said, whether it’s in West Virginia or across the nation.
“Even when I go to the U.S. Conference of Mayors or the National League of Cities, far and away, we experience the same challenges. There’s not one single city in the state of West Virginia that doesn’t have the same challenges we have,” she said.