Selectmen to Discuss Farmers' Market RFP Tuesday

In between two planned executive sessions, the Board of Selectmen will reconsider the decision to issue a request for proposals to manage a farmers' market at Stephens Field.

The town has a public facilities policy, which was used in giving current farmers' market manager Barbara Anglin permission to run a market every Thursday between June and October.

According to Anglin:

The town is looking for ways to capture needed user fees for the use of public space so that there are funds for maintenance and upkeep of our town treasures. In the absence of a comprehensive use of public space policy for special events and commercial endeavors, they put out a bid for the farmers' market because two other people have said they want to run a market in the same place on the same day. The town wants to be fair but to offer these specific places and times means the public goodwill earned by the current market organization is essentially hijacked. We say, sure, start your new market, on another day. Make a proposal to the selectman as we did eight years ago. We also say, that the town needs a broader land use policy with a mechanism to capture fees from events like a farmers market (which already has considerable town and state oversight) and other events on public space. We are looking for long term, sustainable solutions for all public space users in Plymouth, not a knee jerk reaction and a hasty RFP to simply appease the would be hijackers of the Plymouth Farmers' Market. Set a broad policy first, then let any market proposer or other event organizer comply. Meanwhile, until that has been done, allow the market community to gather as always to present local farm food, local musicians, community groups and the whole farmers' market basket.