09/15/03

Mayor, City Council, City Council Candidates:

I am forwarding an email I sent to the Moscow Arts Commission Merchants Advisory Committee (MAC MAC). I am concerned about this idea of moving the farmers' market to Main Street. I hope the information included below will give you an idea of the consequences associated with moving the market. I also hope we can get people together, put all our individual agendas on the table, and work to find some alternatives to moving the market that provides us with a win/win outcome.

Thanks, Brad King

Subject: Farmers Market

09/14/03

MAC Market Advisory Committee:

As you are aware, some time ago DH mentioned the idea of moving the market to Main Street to the city council and brought it up with the farmers' market vendors. There has also been a recent newspaper article indicating that a downtown merchants association is advocating the move and city council people have been talking about it. Also, there is a U of I prof interested in studying the idea. I actually thought the study was going on the week before last, but that wasn't the case. Anyway, as a result I decided to write up some of my thoughts on the issue and send them to the U of I prof in hopes that they might be considered when a study is done. I also copied DH and some other folks where I had the email address's handy at the time. These comments are pasted into the end of this email.

Also, DH has said the subject would be debated this winter. I suggested to her that the discussion among the vendors should be held soon, rather than after many of the vendors are scattered and it would be more difficult for them to gather for a meeting.

Although I am not done looking into this issue and talking to people, it looks like the city council will eventually have to make the decision. It appears to me that, for the vendors and shoppers, the market is now in the most ideal location and configuration we will ever have, as explained in my comments pasted below. Therefore, it seems to me, the first choice the city council will have to consider is if they should leave the market where it is and have the best farmers' market we can possibly have for maximum support of the arts commission. The second choice would be to risk a lesser farmers' market by using it as a tool to bring more business to some of the downtown merchants. The council should decide which is best for the city in the long run.

An alternative might be to see if something else can be done to help out the downtown businesses. To do this, I think we need to identify everyone's agenda and see if we can work something out. I would be much happier with some sort of win/win outcome that didn't require moving the market. As I state in my comments below, I feel that we should have a clear and compelling reason before we risk moving the market.

Brad King

(09/10/03 Ms. M: The following was written before I saw your email to DH clarifying the actual task your students were engaged in during the market this weekend. Since you might be looking at the market in connection with the Main Street issue, my comments are still pertinent so I decided not to rewrite them. I hope this is useful.)

09/08/03

Dear Ms. M,

If you ask around, I think you will find the Moscow Farmers Market to be one of the most successful markets in the region. As a result, the market is starting to draw quite a bit of attention and controversy. The idea of moving the market to Main Street appeals to some people, but it is also controversial and needs to be investigated with great care. Although I don't know the scope of the work the students were doing at the market this weekend, I view the idea of the U of I being involved in a careful objective study as a positive development.

With all the work through out the year, commitment, investment, and risk that is required, you can imagine why some of the market vendors are a little apprehensive about this talk of moving to Main Street. As Moscow residents and market vendors, my wife and I have been thinking about this issue for over eighteen months. We have identified a number of practical concerns about this issue and are wondering if your study is going to include talking to all concerned parties, including the vendors.

Some of the vendors favor the idea of moving, others are opposed, some are just concerned. In my case, I am very concerned. Some time ago, I sent an email to the city council suggesting that 'if it isn't broken don't fix it' and to be very careful how they handle this issue.

The following are some of the issues I feel should be considered. Of course, my bias is included.

1. Why should the market be moved? Who will it benefit? Apparently, some of the downtown business owners want the market moved. I wonder if we can identify all the different agendas.

2. As it is now, each vendor location is just about as good as the others. The present market configuration is probably as close to ideal for the vendors and the public as we will ever have. The area is essentially square. You can stand just about anywhere in the area and almost see the entire market without having to move around very much. There are really no winners or losers.

Along Main Street there will be winners and losers. The spaces closer to Friendship Square will be close to the crowd and the spaces on the ends of the street will see fewer potential buyers and less business. The way it is now, the public can see the market area and easily shop back and forth between vendors a number of times while they are at the market. On Main Street, the vendors on the ends are probably not going to be looked at more than once, if that.

3. In our present location, there are three entrances from Jackson Street and one from the alley from 6th Street and the other parking bays from Jackson. Each of the three vendor bays has two entrances. There are vendors with trailers and at least one good size truck for produce. In the morning, we get there early, unload, and get our rigs out of the way while the big truck parks and remains in the area. After the market is over there is a period where the cars, pickups, and the larger truck load up and leave. Towards the end of this period, the trailers move in and start loading. In my case, there has never been a situation where our trailer has been in the way as we load up. There has never been demand for the parking space or any real blockage while we load.

Main Street looks like an entirely different situation. If the market extends from 3rd to 6th, the entrances are 3rd, 5th and 6th. If the market extends from 3rd to 5th, if it would fit, there are only two entrances. Unloading in the morning would be more difficult than it is now, but problems can be solved by arriving earlier. (We get to the market at 5:00, now.) After the market ends, there will be a big congested mess. The cops and the Main Street merchants will be quite anxious to get the street open again. We will be racing the clock trying to get in, loaded up, and get out within a reasonable period of time. In addition, we would all be in one row rather than in three rows. If the market extends from 3rd to 6th, you could consider it to be two rows with congestion at the 5th Street entrance.

4. Traffic safety has been mentioned as a reason for moving the market. Jackson Street traffic can be a little unnerving from time to time if speeding is involved. It seems like the most likely problem would be if someone stepped into the street at the wrong time. Most of us who have discussed it, feel the problem can be solved by improved signage along Jackson, an occasional out of service police car parked along the street, and maybe some little stands along the edge of the sidewalk with a rope to emphasize staying on the sidewalk. I think this is solvable and should not be used as an excuse for moving the market.

5. Space is an issue for the vendors. Any new market configuration that reduces the available space could be a real problem for some of the vendors. I am not sure if we could adjust our business to accommodate reduced space. Less space could result in the reduced diversity of products available at the market. In our case, we would have to sell a smaller number of larger and more expensive plants. Instead of complementing our competitors, we would be more like them. This is not good for the market.

6. Parking is often voiced as an advantage associated with moving the market. How would that work? Vendors take up parking spaces in the parking lot or on Main Street. Cars would have to be towed from either location if in violation of the parking ordinance.

Actually, we do have a problem with parking, but it has little to do with market location. We have been trying for some time to get the vendors to park in the lot just to the west of the newspaper building. This would open quite a few parking spaces in the lot and along Jackson. We need to make progress on this issue.

7. Retailing at the farmers market is an issue that annoys downtown merchants, some of the public, and some of the market vendors as well. This is a reasonable complaint and the MAC needs to solve this.

8. Alternate ideas have been discussed that may have some merit. One idea had to do with closing off Main Street on either side of the brick area in the street adjacent to Friendship Square. However, it would be necessary to provide a temporary turn around area on each side of the bricks. If that could be done, there could be market activity out on the bricks towards the fountain. Also, even without street closure, signage could be used to draw attention to business on Main Street. Would something like this help the downtown merchants?

We have a successful market and no one is really sure why. We are in a close to ideal location. The vendors have adapted to the situation and make quite a commitment with work that lasts through out the year in an effort to make adequate sales during a four hour period, once a week, for six months out of the year. During this period, the vendors hope for good weather and few of us would think to divide gross receipts by the hours worked over the year. The market provides business, entertainment, and a place to socialize. It is probably easier to mess this up than it is to improve it and the vendors will take most of the risk.

I'm not sure what the scope of your study is, but in the end we need to identify all the players, identify the different agendas, and try to work towards a win/win solution. Above all, we need to determine if there is a clear and compelling reason to risk a major change such as moving to Main Street.

Thanks,

Brad King


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