We are aware that some Saturday Market in the Park vendors have requested changes to how the market is administered. We share with these vendors a desire for reasonable and consistent application of market guidelines. However, we believe some of the requested changes would have seriously negative results on local farmers if implemented.

We recommend that PARC take the following specific steps to address these issues:

1. Demonstrate PARC’s understanding of the unique circumstances of farmer vendors by reaffirming their current priority placement in the Gasoline Alley area of the Saturday Market.
2. Clearly state PARC’s commitment to longstanding Saturday Market principles by reaffirming the current ‘make it, bake it, grow it’ requirement, the definition of a farmer vendor and value-added requirements for farmer vendors.
3. Establish, in consultation with vendors, a new mechanism to help apply the current market guidelines to all vendors.
4. Ensure that any future PARC review of the market guidelines has a clearly defined scope and process approved by the commission.