Plans begin for farmers market
Published 4:00 pm Monday, November 24, 2008
Next summer, Island residents may be spending their Saturdays strolling past tents of fresh-picked produce, artisan breads, gourmet cheeses and all-natural honeys.
As part of their mission to promote sustainable prosperity downtown, Island Vision, a non-profit community organization, and the City Council have given two green thumbs up to introducing a Mercer Island farmers market.
“It’s going to be a big project,” said Callie Ridolfi, a leading member of the Farmers Market Committee, recently established to help realize the project. “We’re hoping to get as many volunteers involved as possible.”
On Nov. 8, Ridolfi held a community forum to discuss plans for the farmers market. Forty-six people attended the meeting, far more than Ridolfi had expected, which shows promising support for the idea, she said.
And Island residents are not the only ones cheering for a farmers market. The City Council and Chamber of Commerce are also keen on the idea.
“The farmers market is consistent with the city’s vision of a vibrant Town Center,” Ridolfi said.
As of now, the committee is leaning toward a Saturday market for what they hope will be a weekly event. However, finding a location is the most critical task at hand.
According to Ridolfi, two downtown locations are being considered — 32nd Street, just north of Mercerdale Park, and the U.S. Bank parking lot on 77th Avenue S.E. The soon-to-be 7800 Plaza building could become a permanent location when finished in 2010.
The city has yet to discuss these site proposals, and it could take some time before an official location is approved. The market would need running water, sufficient space for vendors’ tents and nearby parking for visitors.
City Manager Rich Conrad said he could not remember a farmers market ever being on the Island.
He said that for the proposal to succeed, it needs to be championed by the community.
“If they want it,” Conrad said, “it will be [the city’s] job to facilitate it.”
Steve Evans, King County farmers liaison, emphasized the amount of work that goes into organizing a farmers market.
“It’s a double effort on the part of city and growers,” said Evans, who knows the business like an old friend.
The liaison has worked with farmers throughout Washington for 25 years.
“When I started in this business, there were two farmers markets — Pike Place and Olympia. Now there are more than 100 state-wide, 32 of which are in King County,” he said, adding that Mercer Island is an ideal place for the next one.
Evans emphasized that these markets exist to help the local farmer. Although shoppers share the benefits, the growers come first, he said.
“Farmers markets, in general, have become a pretty important marketing technique for local farmers. It’s a way for them to sell products directly and keep a larger portion of dollar,” Evans explained.
“In some places, people have a tendency to forget this,” he added. “They’ve got all kinds of reasons to put a farmers market together — and all noble reasons — but it has to work for farmers.”
And this, according to Ridolfi, is Mercer Island’s intention.
The draft mission statement of the Farmers Market Committee is to “provide a vibrant and healthy place to: foster community connections, engage Islanders of all ages, supply abundant quality fresh produce, and support small local farmers,” rolling the needs of local farmers and Island residents into one cohesive vision.
This is exactly why the committee is going out of its way to research the topic, meet with growers and visit other markets to learn how to organize its own.
Just last week, Ridolfi and some fellow committee members visited the University District farmers market to see how things run. The committee has also joined the Cascade Harvest Coalition, established “to build healthy food and farm systems by cultivating common ground among farming and non-farming communities.”
In consideration of Island merchants, the committee will organize a market that promotes — rather than competes with — local businesses.
“We really want to focus on fresh produce grown in Washington and sold by vendors,” Ridolfi said.“Our number one priority is ensuring quality and diversity of foods.”
So far, the committee has established a vision, action plan and proposed budget for their project, all of which is posted on the Island Vision Web site. The next step, according to Ridolfi, is to settle on a location with the City Council and develop a realistic budget.
Over the coming months, Island Vision will be holding a number of meetings with Mercer Island and King County officials, Washington farmers, Island merchants and anyone else interested in the project. The next public forum will be held on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Mercer Island Public Library. For more information go to: www.islandvision.org.
