Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Events Volunteers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lake Elmo farmers market organizer to step down, asks community for volunteers and asks council to revive environmental committee
Summary
Organizer Jill Lundgren told the council she is stepping down after 11 years running the Lake Elmo farmers market, said the market needs volunteers to continue and asked the council to consider reinstating a city environmental committee and review lake conditions.
LAKE ELMO, Minn. — The organizer of the Lake Elmo farmers market told the City Council Wednesday that she will step away after about 11 years and urged the community to provide volunteers so the market can continue.
Jill Lundgren said she started the market in a small parking lot and built it to more than 30 vendors, with average walk-through traffic of about 400–500 people. “This market is run on volunteers,” Lundgren said. She said the market is a registered 501(c)(3), buys insurance through the Minnesota Farmers Market Association, pays for parking through the Stillwater School District and has donated more than $6,000 to the Washington County K9 unit.
Lundgren said a new manager, identified as Trista in the meeting, will take over operations, but the market is down to three board members and needs volunteers to sustain operations. She asked residents to help staff the market on Saturdays and to share responsibilities rather than rely on a single full-time manager.
Lundgren also urged the council to re-establish an environmental committee that the city had in the past and to schedule a review of lake conditions, including Lake Olson, Lake De Montreville and Lake Jane. “We now have what’s called travelers… those microorganisms that come from the zebra mussels,” she said, urging action to address invasive species and shoreline concerns.
Why it matters: The farmers market is a recurring local event tied to community engagement, small-business visibility and local fundraising. Volunteer shortages could threaten the market’s operation and local donations.
What the council did: Lundgren made an appeal to the community and asked the council to consider resurrecting the environmental committee and to review lake-related policies; the council took the comments under advisement and thanked volunteers and staff for recent community events.
Next steps: Lundgren offered to provide reference materials and encouraged residents to volunteer; the council did not set a date to reconstitute an environmental committee at the meeting.
Speakers: Lundgren’s comments combined event history, volunteer needs, fundraising accomplishments and environmental concerns; she identified a successor manager and asked the community to assist with operations.
