Accusations of failure to communicate went both ways Wednesday evening during a community meeting about revitalizing Bayfield's traditional downtown on Mill Street.
The hot item was a proposal to move the Bayfield Farmers Market, which has operated for many years in the Highway 160 Roadside Park. Vendors at the Wednesday meeting want to keep it that way, at least this year. Their customers are people driving through on the highway, not locals, they said.
They said they had no notice of a proposal to move the event to the grassy area at the north edge of Joe Stephenson Park along Mill Street. And by the way, the first farmers market will be Saturday, May 21, they said.
That led Town Manager Chris La May to accuse the vendors of lack of notice, since that's a much earlier starting date than in the past, when it opened in June or July.
La May started the meeting by describing a downtown assessment done in March 2015 and recommendations that came out of that. It showed support for the local farm-to-table movement, he said. "Maybe an initial first step is to focus on the farmers market that exists. We're trying to focus activities downtown or the business park. There are trees, shade, the sidewalk (at the north edge of Joe Stephenson Park). The town is willing to pony up some money to promote the event. We're helping local businesses in that area as well."
The park has a lot of activity on Saturday mornings, he added.
Farmers market vendor Jacqui Day objected that because of that other activity, there's no parking near the park on Saturday mornings. Vendor business will die with a move away from the highway, she said. There's nothing on the highway that would entice travelers to go downtown.
"We'll be happy to come Thursday night (to proposed Mill Street activities), but if you kill our farmers market, we're screwed," Day said. "The locals don't shop there. We've been there for 10 years. Why didn't you tell us about this (proposal) sooner? That was really sudden. Nobody told us. The administrator of our farmers market didn't know."
Cheri Carpenter-Silva agreed there's nothing on the highway to get travelers to go to Mill Street. "I've been doing (the market) for six years. I get a lot of customers that are passing through... If you are passing through, are you really going to turn off?... It's location, location, location."
She said the market is opening next Saturday, May 21.
Day said of the lack of local customers, "You can't make people who make the lowest wages in Colorado buy when they don't have the money. It's tourists. The first thing that will kill a farmers market is to lose visibility."
La May objected, "No one told us you are going to start on May 21." He asked the vendors, "Are you willing to sit down and talk?"
Day responded, "Not if you are playing monarch" and the decision is already made.
A third vendor, Cherri Dodd, commented, "There are other farmers markets. If they make us (move to Mill Street), we can leave."
In contrast, Emily Jensen, who sells produce at the Durango Farmers Market, speculated that the Bayfield market would thrive downtown. She added, "I would love to sell (in Bayfield), but locals don't come."
Day said, "It's old abandoned buildings that are killing Mill Street. How can you revitalize a town that was never vital in the first place? We have a successful market. Why are you messing with it?"
Upper Pine Fire Chief Bruce Evans proposed a compromise, to leave the farmers market in the roadside park, at least for this summer, and do the summer block party events on weekday evenings on Mill Street. He suggested calling them "foodie" events.
Audience member Jim Tencza objected that farmers market vendors are using town property for free while his business on Mill Street pays for rent and a business license. "I don't get anything for free," he said.
Audience member Jackie Morlan said of the vendors' claim of lack of notice, "We didn't know how to get in touch with you. I'm a citizen who really cares about this community. I've lived here since 1979. The location (on Hwy. 160) is unsafe with the traffic. It's 55 miles per hour. We tried to find you. If you would just look at this positively, I think the town is doing you a favor."
There will be highway signs to direct people downtown, but not right away, Morlan said.
Town Parks and Rec Director Scott Key said of the May 21 start date, "This conversation has been going on for 10 years. We used to mow for you. It never started before July. This is new."
Day and Carpenter-Silva said other markets are opening now.
Longtime town resident and former mayor Josh Joswick commented, "I was involved in setting (the market) up in 1989 or 1990. The intent was a place for local growers to sell ther extra produce. What I'd hate to see, if it doesn't work at Joe Stephenson Park, that they would be precluded from going back to the roadside park. I believe it's an important part of this community. There's a synergy created between producer and consumer."
All this will be on the agenda for the May 17 town board meeting. Vendors were urged to be there.
At the May 3 town board meeting, La May told trustees that Colorado Department of Trnsportation originally gave the roadside park to the town with a provision that it couldn't be used for commercial activity. The town and CDOT have pretty much looked the other way for years about the farmers market, he said.
