BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — You may have noticed some additional outdoor seating this summer in downtown Bowling Green. The new "parklets" were supposed to be seasonal seating scheduled to be taken down on Nov. 1.
But if you were hoping they would stick around a little bit longer, you're in luck, because they'll be here until the end of the month.
The parklets have been up since June but the consensus is clear, people love them.
"I think it's fantastic because it continues to allow small businesses to have customers," one shopper said at Grounds for Thought coffee shop.
City councilwoman Rachel Phipps is a part of the Parklet Project and says they've been a "dynamite" addition to the downtown.
"They allowed us to social distance in a time when that was really important," she said. "But more so, they allowed us eat outside. We have really narrow sidewalks down here so they let people gather."
Phipps stressed it's really something simple but the pandemic showed how much people enjoy being outside. And businesses like Kabob It agree.
"It was packed," said manager Nathan Ficher. "I mean it was almost every day. It was full, we actually had more tables out there than we do now, we had to take away a couple."
The parklets only take up about three parking spaces and were set up near Grounds for Thought, Junipers and Kabob It. But the project team received a $50,000 community grant from T-Mobile to expand the parklets next year.
"We do have interest but I can't disclose anything yet," said Phipps. "I don't think we have a number in mind but $50,000 is a big investment for downtown so we definitely can do a couple."
The parklets will stay in place now until Dec. 1. Phipps says this will allow businesses to have them for the city's tree lighting, holiday parade and holiday shopping like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
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