In light of growing public trends in Frederick toward outdoor “al fresco” dining coupled with the pressures of the continuing COVID pandemic, Mayor O’Connor has appointed a 17-member Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee to evaluate staff recommendations for Pop-Up Dining. The Committee will meet online virtually four times over the next two months to discuss and provide feedback on staff recommendations for a balanced Pop-Up Dining Program. Final recommendations will be made in the form of proposed legislation for the Board of Aldermen to consider and approve.
The ad-hoc committee will be composed of
- 4 City Residents
- 4 Retailers
- 4 Restaurants
- 4 Business Representatives
- 1 Food Truck Operator
- 3 Ex-Officio Non-Voting Non-Profits (Golden Mile Alliance, East Frederick Rising, and Downtown Frederick Partnership)
- City Staff Representing DED, Legal, Police, Engineering, Planning, & Mayor’s Office
Residents, visitors, and workforce have expressed strong opinions for safe, attractive, enjoyable outdoor dining options. The City has operated a highly successful Pop-Up Dining Program during the 2020-2021 seasons which ended October 31, 2021. Mayor O’Connor stated that it is his strong interest, “to provide safe, equitable, and attractive, temporary, multi-year outdoor options for any Frederick based restaurant or food truck to provide al fresco dining experiences for residents, visitors, and workforce throughout the City of Frederick.” Additionally, such programs are intended to balance safety, parking, and operational considerations.
This short duration Ad-Hoc Committee is being appointed under Article III, Section 6(i) of the City Charter which gives the Mayor authority for such appointments. The meetings will be held on Feb. 8, 15, 22 and March 1 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. using Microsoft Teams. The meetings will be recorded and minutes published. All documents, minutes, and recording can be found on https://www.cityoffrederickmd.gov/1566/Pop-Up-Dining-Ad-Hoc-Advisory-Committee. Comments from the public can be emailed to PopUpDining@cityoffrederickmd.gov.
The following serve as members of the committee:
- Bruce Albaugh, Resident
- Dr. Alison Bomba, Resident
- Eileen Pfeiffer, Resident
- Waymon Wright, Resident
- Mindy Cawley, Retail Owner/Representative
- Drennan Hicks, Retail Owner/Representative
- Marien Hornyack, Retail Owner/Representative
- Caiti Smith, Retail Owner/Representative
- Jason Miller, Restaurant Owner/Representative
- Julie Ruzdin, Restaurant Owner/Representative
- James Smith, Restaurant Owner/Representative
- Tristan Wasley, Restaurant Owner/Representative
- Shantay Demar, Business Owner/Representative
- Sandy Dubay, Business Owner/Representative
- Pam Francis, Business Owner/Representative
- Jeff Griffin, Business Owner/Representative
- Karina Goytia, Food Truck Owner/Representative
Ex-Officio Non-Profit Representatives (non-voting)
- Kara Norman, Downtown Frederick Partnership
- Sean Walker, East Frederick Rising
- Sandra Wastler, Golden Mile Alliance