Should Creve Coeur Enter The Farmers Market Business?

Creve Coeur City Council members have signed off on the broad outlines of a plan that could turn a portion of the Parkway Northeast Middle School campus into a Saturday morning Farmers Market as early as next May.

City officials have been in talks with organizers behind several area markets in Ellisville, Lake St. Louis and Ferguson, among others, to get a sense of what works and other best practices.

Parks Director Kirsten Barnes and Public Information Officer Theresa Bradshaw told council members that they met with administrators at Parkway Northeast Middle School on Monday about the idea and that other district administrators were already receptive. 

In a presentation to council members, the pair laid out a plan that could see as many as 30 vendors at a market, which would be held in a rear parking lot at the school, with visibility on Interstate 270, plus access to parking, electricity and bathrooms.

The next crucial step for getting a market ready to launch in time for 2014 is finding someone to manage it, which would also require a budget amendment.
City Council would then also need to sign off on fees and permits for the project, along with insurance agreements and vendor contracts. Failing to find the right person to manage the project could push a launch to 2015.

Tell us what you think: Would you support a Creve Coeur Farmers Market?