Joel: Your previous conversation with Gary must have hit some kind of a chord:
Vicki Taylor, community events director for the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, would like to hear from any STers willing to work with her on a plan to have a 2nd Market on the Commmons. She's already done a lot of the groundwork with the City, clarifying all the regulations that would need to be followed. She's met with the Farmers Market folks to see if they'd like to take this on, but they don't. So - she needs help to have a DOWNTOWN MARKET up and dancing by next spring! LEVEL GREEN - fostering sustainable community through collaborative initiatives in hospitality, education and the arts, in the 150 year-old democratic spirit of the Danish Folk School. 1519 Slaterville Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 339-9472 --- On Tue, 10/14/08, Joel and Sarah Gagnon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: Joel and Sarah Gagnon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: 2nd farmers market near downtown? > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 9:52 AM > Hi Pat -- > > I don't think I am in a good position to push the idea. > I have mentioned it > to Gary in the past. He knows that the prosperity of the > Commons area is > dependent on overall traffic, and that large traffic > generators are very > desirable (we're talking people traffic, not just auto > traffic). I thought > the first floor of the Cayuga Garage would be a good spot, > but the word was > that a farmers market is not a sufficiently high value > tenant to justify > taking up the space (which sat empty for over a year after > construction and > is still half empty). That has been the farmers > market's problem from the > outset. It is not valued for its synergistic value, and it > cannot pay the > freight to occupy a space full-time for intermittent use. > Since this kind > of use has happened elsewhere, and since it has been key to > revitalizing > downtowns in some of them (e.g., Portland, Maine), it would > be worthwhile > to investigate how those markets are structured and > supported, something > the Downtown Partnership is well positioned to do. I would > say that that > work would be a good foundation for an exploration of > options for locating > a market on or near the Commons. > > Joel > > At 06:38 AM 10/12/08 -0700, you wrote: > >Gary: > >what do you think of the idea put forward on the > Sustainable Tompkins > >listserv today? > > > >given the many people who come to the Tuesday market, > and gather in DeWitt > >Park, this might be worth considering. I know that NYS > Ag & Mkts has $ for > >expandng and/or developing new farmers markets. > > > >The VArna Community Assn has been talking with farmers > in the Lansing area > >about starting a small market out there. From what I > hear, the Lansing > >folks are disgruntled because the waterside Market is > "elite" and > >inaccessible for their produce. > > > >JOEL & SARAH: > >is this something you'd be interested in pursuing > any further? [Gary is > >exec dir of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, which brokers > downtown > >development and interests) > > > > > >--- On Sun, 10/12/08, Joel and Sarah Gagnon > ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > From: Joel and Sarah Gagnon > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] Local, > collaborative farming > > > To: "Sustainable Tompkins County > listserv" > > <[email protected]> > > > Date: Sunday, October 12, 2008, 8:38 AM > > > I could not agree more, and am heartened to see > the > > > congruence of our > > > thoughts about the farmers markets. I have > thought for > > > years that the City > > > of Ithaca badly mismanaged the farmers market and > missed a > > > great > > > opportunity to locate the market, which has the > potential > > > to anchor the > > > downtown, on or near the Commons. There is now > plenty of > > > interest to > > > support more than one market in Ithaca, and > creating a > > > market in the > > > vicinity of the Commons would be a tremendous > boost to the > > > entire retail > > > marketplace in that area. If we can chase money > for a > > > visitor's center > > > focused on wineries, why can't we do the same > thing for > > > local producers of > > > other foods? > > > > > > I do wonder about the sustainability of the > centralized > > > food distribution > > > that so dominates the current scene. While it may > falter > > > ultimately, in the > > > interim the trend continues to favor the likes of > Wegmans > > > and Walmart at > > > the expense of the Greenstars and other smaller > niche > > > markets. Diversity is > > > a plus. Complexity generally results in greater > stability > > > and adaptability. > > > A competition between Wegmans and Walmart as to > who can do > > > a better job of > > > sourcing and marketing local and Organic foods > would be > > > better for farmers > > > than the current situation. Any farmer would have > the sense > > > to realize (I > > > hope!) that they need a contract when dealing > with large > > > outlets like this. > > > You don't produce a large volume of anything > in > > > agriculture without locking > > > in a market for it. Having more than one option > for where > > > to market is a > > > healthy thing. > > > > > > In the longer run, I think food stores will > become smaller > > > and more local > > > in their procurement, and farmers markets can > help the > > > process along by > > > giving growers more marketing options. > > > > > > Joel > > > > > > At 01:09 PM 10/11/08 -0400, you wrote: > > > >At 09:05 AM 10/11/2008 -0700, George Frantz > wrote, in > > > part: > > > > > Why assume the continued dependence on > the > > > WalMart/Wegman's centralized > > > > > procurement/distribution system model? > > > > > > > > > >There are a number of cities in > Pennsylvania that > > > have since colonial > > > > >times operated publicly-owned central > markets > > > where individual stalls are > > > > >leased to small-time local producers of > food and > > > and fiber. ....rest > > > > >deleted...... > > > > > > > >Dear George and Colleages--This a great idea. > In fact, > > > once upon a time, > > > >when I first came to Ithaca the old > Rothchild's > > > Building had just been torn > > > >down and what was to become the Center Ithaca > Building > > > was a vacant lot > > > >covered with gravel. And what was to become > the Ithaca > > > Farmers' Market was > > > >held in the vacant lot. It had a festive > atmosphere > > > and attacted all sorts > > > >of folks to then new Commons that might not > have > > > wandered over there > > > >otherwise. Instead of building dozens of > stalls for > > > small farmers and > > > >crafts/cottage industry practitioners and the > > > continence of what could have > > > >become a great tradition an architectural > monstrosity > > > was constructed > > > >instead that filled in what was a great open > air space. > > > And now the > > > >Farmers' Market is way far away from the > downtown > > > business district, > > > >requires a car to get to for many of us and > draws > > > business away from the > > > >downtown instead of helping to building it > up. So we > > > know the meaning of > > > >"retrograde" here in Ithaca. Tom > > > > > > > >****************************************** > > > >Tom Shelley > > > >118 E. Court St. > > > >Ithaca, NY 14850 > > > >607 342-0864 > > > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > >Compost Educator and Sustainability Scion* > > > > > > > >What Does Zero Waste Mean? > > > >"If it cant be reduced, reused, > repaired, rebuilt, > > > refurbished, refinished, > > > >resold, recycled, or composted, then it > should be > > > restricted, redesigned, > > > >or removed from production." > > > >Berkeley Zero Waste Resolution > > > >See > > > > http://www.cityofberkeley.info/council8/newsletter.pdf > > > > > > > >*noun: a shoot or bud of a plant, esp. one > for > > > planting or grafting > > > > >_______________________________________________ > > > >For more information about sustainability in > the > > > Tompkins County area, > > > >please visit: > http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > > > > > > >RSS, archives, subscription & listserv > information > > > for: > > > >[email protected] > > > > >http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > > > >free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > > > _______________________________________________ > > > For more information about sustainability in the > Tompkins > > > County area, please visit: > > > http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > > > > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv > information for: > > > [email protected] > > > > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > > > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > > > > > > _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
