With an eye toward revitalizing downtown Great Bend and honing the city’s competitive edge against its peers, the City Council Monday night will consider a resolution designating a common consumption area in the heart of the community to be dubbed Great Bend Alive Plaza.
The council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Great Bend Events Center, 3111 10th St. One can also view the meetings on Access TV via Cox Cable Channel 20 or live online at www.facebook.com/gbcitycouncil/.
Great Bend Economic Development Inc. requested the designation on Forest Avenue from the west side of Main Street to the east side of Williams Street, said GBED President Sara Hayden. Great Bend Alive Inc., a non-profit offshoot of GBED, will be licensed to operate the area.
“I’m really excited about it,” she said. This is just the first baby step to revitalize the already quaint business hub.
The designation would commence on July 1, but the first open night likely won’t take place until August. It would be used two Fridays a month from 5-8 p.m. and likely stay active through September, weather permitting, and start back up in April 2022.
“A consumption district is a designated public area where the consumption of alcohol is allowed during the specified times. But, it’s not about drinking,” Hayden said.
“The consumption district is meant to provide a gathering place downtown that will encourage people to get out and connect with friends and family,” she said. Its hours are condensed to enable the community to come out and gather and then encourage them to stay out after closing to frequent other restaurants and businesses.
During these times, Forest Avenue will be closed in the area to motorized traffic.
“Our goal is to make Forest downtown Great Bend’s premier street,” she said. They hope to create an atmosphere that is inviting for people to come and participate.
Starting small
“We are just trying to get our feet wet,” she said. “We are working out the kinks.”
They will gauge the popularity of the plaza with plans to expand days and hours should there be enough interest. She and the GB Alive members are confident this will be the case.
There will be removable tables, benches, umbrellas, lighting and other decorative touches so patrons can enjoy relaxing in the zone, she said. Answering the most common question she gets, bathrooms will be available.
There are plans for a metal arch over Forest at Williams, but that won’t be ready for this season. Instead, removable decorative barriers will be utilized to delineate the plaza.
Establishments located within the district can serve into the district any time it is in use, Hayden said. There will also be the opportunity for other drinking establishments to serve as well.
During consumption district nights, there will be live music, and there may be food trucks or pop-up caterers. Live music will be primarily acoustic sets as the idea is to enhance the overall atmosphere, she said.
Businesses not serving into the district are not required to stay open late. However, they are welcome to take advantage of the extra traffic, but they will have to make sure no alcohol comes into their establishments.
In the future, Hayden said they hope to use this designated area for other things, such as Saturday morning family gatherings, activities, Third Thursday events, or an extension for downtown events such as June Jaunt.
There will be ample security to monitor the area on event evenings.
City dollars are not being used to fund this project. Instead, economic development and private donations are covering the cost, she said.
Making Great Bend greater
“With this district, we hope to increase traffic, drive tourism and improve quality of life for the residents of Great Bend,” Hayden said. But, they are also looking beyond the city limits.
The city’s current trade area (the area defined using mobile analytics to show who is shopping our city regularly) is at about 47,000 and has dropped significantly from years previous, she said. The reason, in large part, is because other communities such as Salina, Hays and Dodge have adapted to meet the demands of the new generations and their experience-driven consumer habits.
“Our goal as economic development is to identify the challenges we face as a community and help to create solutions to make us competitive in our race to grow,” Hayden said.
When she talks to people about moving to Great Bend, they ask about finding jobs, finding a house and finding childcare. But, “they also ask what is there for us to do?,” she said. "We know that quality of life amenities are an important piece of the puzzle.”
While the plaza seems like just a simple thing, “it is actually something Great Bend will use to lead to the way to overall economic vitality,” Hayden said.
