5. Scandia Farmers Market request
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: May 6, 2020
To: City Council
From: Brenda Eklund, City Clerk
Re: Proposal to use the Community Center parking lot for the Scandia Farmers Market
Background: Staff has been contacted by Sarah Porubcansky, Scandia Farmers Market, with a
request to relocate this season’s market from the Gammelgarden Museum to the Community
Center parking lot due to the increased precautions necessary to operate during this time of the
COVID-19 health crisis. The Community Center parking lot will provide for safe distancing of the
vendors and customers. A diagram is attached showing the proposed market area within the
parking lot.
Proposal Details: Sarah Porubcansky explained that this will be a transactional market only:
“We plan to educate the community to make a list, shop online where possible and just pick up
from those vendors, not come with the entire family - only one person. We will be monitoring
distances - and if it gets crowded, we will only allow in a limited number.
We have the market entry down by the street entrance (209th Street) - so we've marked some
handicapped spaces (that we will mark off) by that entrance. Parking is on the east side -the
long row by the garage and those behind it. Also parking at Elim's lower lot. We may have to
have another entrance toward the warming house since Pastor Meredith is thinking to use that
for Green Grocery Shares - she thinks she can do it through the window - protects them and
gives them a table.
We'll have to buy LOTS of rope or caution tape or something to mark off the entire market. We
need to control any entrances. We will have at least 3 hand washing stations. There will be no
food consumed on the grounds of the market. We are following very closely the State’s
guidelines for markets (www.mfma.org/Guidance-for-Markets).
Hours - we had been thinking the usual 3:30-6:30pm. At first, we may need more time but as
things go along - we'll get better at it. At this time, I'd say 2:30 - 7:30 - although - we tend to
shut down quite fast - so more like 7pm. Most will be selling from their cars/trucks so set up
would be our roping things off and getting our signs up and such .
The Market itself carries insurance and we encourage all vendors to have their own insurance.
We also collect ST19 forms from all vendors.
We're hoping we can have the blessing of the council so we can move forward in planning our
opening on June 10th.”
Issue: Should the City Council allow the Scandia Farmers Market to operate in the Community
Center parking lot from June 10th to September 16th? This includes the request for Elim’s Green
Grocery Shares program to use the Warming House. If social distancing requi rements are
greatly loosened this summer, there is a possibility that the Market could go back to the
Gammelgarden, but that is unknown at this time.
Staff sees no conflicts with planned events at the Community Center, particularly in mid-week
when the parking lot is not being used.
If approval is granted to operate the market within the public parking lot , staff recommends
that the Market provide to the City a public liability insurance policy naming the City as an
additional insured entity with limits of not less than one million dollars per occurrence, prior to
the opening of the Market on June 10th.