It may not be exactly be drinks on the deck, but soon patrons of Gibbie’s Pub & Eatery on High Street will be able to enjoy their food and cocktails in a new outdoor seating area.
Construction on the area, called a pedlet, began Tuesday and Damien Davis, Morgantown’s director of engineering and public works, said the work wrapped up Wednesday.
The pedlet, designed by Mills Group, blocks the sidewalk in front of Gibbie’s for dining and includes a pedestrian pathway, which also acts as an entrance to the dining area, where metered parking was. There are planters acting as barricades on all sides.
Kristen Johnson, bartender at Gibbie’s, said the project has already brought in extra business from people stopping to ask what’s going on.
“I think it’ll bring more people in here to see, you know, what we have to offer here at Gibbie’s and also bring a lot of business downtown,” Johnson said.
This project follows the success of a similar outdoor dining area built in front of Tin 202 last year, with some redesigning because of the Department of Highways’ issue with diners in the former parking area, Davis said.
Davis said he’s hopeful more pedlets can be built in the spring and that while the installation of this one is later than hoped because of trouble getting materials, there should still be plenty of warm days to take advantage of.
Andrew Stacy, Morgantown communications director, said, “The city staff from the Public Works and Engineering and Urban Landscape Departments worked hard to make this project a success and they did a terrific job. Supply chain issues and other factors delayed the installation of this pedlet, but hopefully we can do more next year starting in the spring. I hope the citizens of Morgantown appreciate the hard work that went into this project and treat it with the respect that it deserves.”
Johnson said the outdoor dining will be ready “soon” and the restaurant will likely reconfigure the area several times to work out the best setup. There are also plans to hang up lights outside.
Davis said the pedlet looked good Tuesday — but after Director of Urban Landscapes Marchetta Maupin and her team set up the planters on Wednesday, the setting was “dynamite.”
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