After you’ve read the following post, you’ll have a chance to make your views known to the city by responding to a survey that you can fill out by clicking this link. It is important to note that responses can only be made “through Monday, April 10,” according to the weekly Evanston E-News. It’s hard to tell from that language if Sunday or Monday is the cut-off, so it’d be best to respond over the weekend.
In an article posted on March 26, the Evanston Roundtable reported that, “Evanston officials have released a draft of consultants’ findings in a much-anticipated report, Evanston Thrives, that lays out an action plan for improving the city’s retail districts.” Part of this draft plan involves an initiative familiar to Evanston Farmers Market shoppers and vendors: Moving the market to Fountain Square.
You can read Bob Seidenberg’s article at this link.. A 20-page executive summary is available here. The board of the Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets responded with a Letter to the Editor, which was published here.
The Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets was more than cool to this plan when it was proposed in 2021. Aside from any other reasons, that was largely because there had been no contact with the Market Manager or with vendors to obtain opinions and data about whether the notion was feasible, and how the change of venue would affect the market’s size and popularity.
The 2021 proposal also suggested shifting the management of the market to the 501(c)(3) organization Downtown Evanston instead of Evanston’s Parks and Recreation Department, where it resides currently. Friends was uncomfortable with this proposal as well.
The Evanston Thrives “Framework” has given the notion of transplanting the Farmers Market new life. And although the creators of this draft plan appear to have done a lot of outreach in developing their proposals, the outreach did not include the current management of the market or any of its nearly 60 vendors. Again.
Members of the Friends board will be meeting with Mayor Biss and other city officials soon to find out how a plan was developed without consulting the people who currently make the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market a continuing success.
If you care about the integrity of the Evanston farmers market, please fill out this survey this weekend. The deadline again is Monday, April 10.
