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Organizers pitch Saturday farmers market for library parking lot; trustees weigh logistics
Summary
A proposal to host a 27-week Saturday farmers market that could include 40'70 vendors using the library parking lot and adjacent park drew initial trustee interest; trustees asked staff to gather more details on dates, parking and city support.
At the Sept. 22 meeting trustees heard a proposal from library staff that Oak Creek farmers market organizers are seeking a new host location in Franklin and have identified the library parking lot as a preferred site.
Jennifer told trustees she met with the mayor and market organizers who described bringing 40 to 70 vendors and running for 27 Saturdays. The organizers prefer a Saturday morning slot; Jennifer said the vendors she spoke with want the later-summer Saturday timeframe and that Oak Creek's organizers reported strong attendance in prior years.
Trustees raised operational questions: how much of the parking lot the market would occupy, whether the library would need to keep the first row of spaces for patrons, options to direct market parking to the City Hall lots, and whether public-safety measures (barricades, sanitation, staffing) and police or public works support would be required. Jennifer said market costs previously included city advertising, staffing and safety work and that Oak Creek took several years to become self-sustaining.
Trustees did not approve the market but expressed interest in exploring the idea. They asked staff to gather the following information for a future decision: vendor commitments and contracts, a cost estimate for city supports (barricades, DPW and public-safety costs), parking and traffic plans including use of City Hall lots, date and hours options (staff recommended considering patron impact on Saturdays), and expected gate count. Jennifer said she will meet with the Oak Creek market director and the Oak Creek library director to collect operational lessons and projected costs.
Trustees said they wanted to preserve library patron access, keep the front row of parking available where reasonable, and explore directing market parking to City Hall or other nearby lots if the market proceeds.
