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Calarco: We Need to Save the Farmers Market for Loveland

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Tom Calarco is a resident of Historic Downtown

Why are the town fathers and mothers in the city council accepting this decision to move it?

By Tom Calarco

We all agree that progress is good – usually.  The recent construction and growth that we are seeing in Loveland is surely progress that will bring benefits to our community.

However, progress can sometimes have negative consequences.  Sometimes we can take a step forward that will send us two steps backward.  We are seeing this now in the removal of the Farmers Market from downtown Loveland.

Why backwards?

  • because we will be losing an event that offers fresh, local produce, the healthiest food you can buy
  • because we will be losing an event that brings like-minded people together
  • because we will be losing a chance to show others who don’t know about the jewel that we are
  • because we will be losing an event that brings both tourists and people from neighboring areas to our town and which will bring them back again
  • because we will be losing an event that will continue to benefit us for years to come

Need I go on?

[quote_left]I suggest that the mayor appoint a committee of council members and citizens to study the matter before a final decision is made.[/quote_left]There are very few citizens in Loveland who don’t want the Farmers Market here.  City manager Dave Kennedy says the Farmers Market is a “wonderful event,” and is working to save it, just not in downtown Loveland.  Even the mayor, who is supporting the move, admits that he regrets the decision.

Why are the town fathers and mothers in the city council accepting this decision to move it?  Have they really searched every avenue, every option, every suggestion, every possibility to keep the Farmers Market in downtown Loveland?

They say traffic is the problem.  Well, traffic is going to be the problem for every event, festival, and concert held downtown, and there are a lot of them.  Has the council considered that, or are they for some unknown reason picking on the Farmers Market, discriminating against it among all the rest, despite the obvious benefits it brings to the community and the support it has from the people who live here?

Councilman Rob Weisgerber says he has supported the Farmers Market since day one and wants to keep it downtown.

“We need to fight for this,” he says.  “The real problem is not the Farmers Market. The question that needs to be answered is, how do we manage the issue of traffic so we can have the amenities that will benefit the community.”

Tell us, council members, will you serve our community and try to solve the traffic problems so that we can keep the Farmers Market downtown?

I suggest that the mayor appoint a committee of council members and citizens to study the matter before a final decision is made.

If you want the Farmers Market to stay in downtown Loveland, come to the City Council Meeting on Feb 9, at 7 pm, to show your support.

 

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Comments

8 responses to “Calarco: We Need to Save the Farmers Market for Loveland”

  1. Linda Bergholz Avatar
    Linda Bergholz

    I think that the Farmers Market is a wonderful event for the community–good for local farmers/food providers, healthy and tasteful choices for residents; it brings a real sense of the way we want our city to be–friends and neighbors coming together in a positive manner.

    However, as a business owner, I have to recognize the downside of the placement of the market at Jackson St. We are located in the building next to the Market and we lose not only most of the parking in the front, sides, and back (except for our two allotted spaces, which is a miniscule amount in comparison to what we need. And it affects many other of the businesses in the area as well–for some, the additional foot traffic is a plus, for those of us who are “go to” businesses, it has resulted in loss of revenue every Tuesday.

    We have had parents refuse to schedule lessons during that time because of the lack of access to parking so their students are able to come upstairs for lessons, those students that are still attending on Tuesdays running so late due to traffic that they have to miss or reschedule, etc.

    There has to be a balance.

    I understand the need for the market to have access to a power source and water. There is an area that is extremely underutilized within approximately two blocks of the area–plenty of parking, water and power available, restrooms, and a great deal of space. Nisbet Park–a lovely setting conducive to the atmosphere of the market–open air, lots of space, room for the kids to run and play while the parents shop.

    Is there still traffic? Of course–there will ALWAYS be traffic and a bottleneck when you have one bridge to the historic area.

    “Old” Historic Loveland is charming and inviting–we need to keep it that way. But there is room for compromise and cooperation and support of important community needs.

    Donna Bednar and the Farmers Market deserve that from the City, it’s governing body, and it’s residents. Donna strives to make Loveland a place to go, not to drive through. Her efforts shouldn’t go unrewarded–I hope the governing body and residents can find a solution that works for both the Market and the businesses that already exist.

  2. cincyfredo Avatar
    cincyfredo

    50 year resident of Loveland, Clermont side.
    I DON’T WANT THE FARMERS MARKET IN DOWNTOWN.
    Move it away or go away ….
    Too much traffic jammed into the one city block that is downtown.
    Too many people trying to make left turns backing people up over the bridge.
    Start your own garden, grow your own food. We don’t need this “market”.

    Or how about this compromise.
    Have this farmers market on a Sat or Sun.
    Stop jamming up traffic when most people are going to / coming from work.
    Jam up a Sat or Sun and compete with all the bike people.

  3. R. Fay Avatar
    R. Fay

    I place my trust in my local gas station operator to sell me a winning lottery ticket, and it is his duty to do so.

  4. Mary Gruber Avatar
    Mary Gruber

    Wish it were possible to build traffic bridges over heavily walking and biking intersections…

  5. Halie Rebeccaschild Avatar
    Halie Rebeccaschild

    As a resident within walking distance of Jackson Street Market, I’d like to see the market bring fresh, local food to my dinner table, and I’d like to be able to walk to get it, supporting our local businesses when I do. It’s far less likely that I will walk or ride my bike if the market is a mile or more away.

    No doubt, traffic is a problem; however, it’s an every day problem in downtown Loveland that the city must deal with creatively. It’s specific to our narrow streets and our blooming tourist economy. Make no mistake, Loveland is a destination every day because we’re a charming town that welcomes outsiders to visit our bike trail in hopes they will stay for dinner, shop in our boutiques, and grab a coffee and chocolate delights at Cocoa Bites. We actually want people to come here and park their cars. People who shop here are welcomed and encouraged. People who just drive through the city center, on the other hand, not so much.

    It’s upon the city to figure out how to best accommodate visitors, and make no mistake, they are very aware that we want people to spend their money in the historic district and create the thriving hub the city imagined when they catered to private businessmen in bringing Loveland Station and The Trails, creating 134 residential units. People that move here are attracted by our thriving local scene, including that brought by a weekly farmers’ market. It feels good to support local farmers, and it feels good to mingle among other thoughtful residents, if only for a day.

    So let’s ask the city to get creative here. Has the city looked at using the two overflow parking lots, one across the O’bannon Creek Bridge, the other just across the tracks on Riverside Drive (currently for lease)? These lots could be used to alleviate traffic during any event, as people would no longer need to drive through the city when its streets are packed. If the city doesn’t want to look into the cost of operating a trolley (which, as we continue to grow, why not?), we can simply ask people to walk. The solutions are not that complicated. It’s only a matter of desire and will.

  6. Jen Russell Avatar
    Jen Russell

    Tom, it is hard to trust people who have not fulfilled that duty to do what’s best for our town. The topic of traffic and parking is an old one, and is only inflamed by the new development. Farmers’ Market aside, we have been asking for attention to this problem for years. City council promised it will be addressed but nothing has happened (e.g. backups and left-turn problems at the West Loveland Ave/Karl Brown Way intersection).

    I am for the market but I am also one of the residents who live very close by and while I enjoyed being able to walk to the market, usually I was so mad about the traffic delays it caused (EVERY WEEK – unlike special events that are annual occurrences) I didn’t want to go over there.

    Rather than emotional appeals (from either “side”) let’s see some figures. Seems we all agree that we value having a farmers’ market in Loveland, but where are the facts and numbers? Is downtown a sustainable location again with the new parking over by the canoe livery? What analysis was done to help explain/understand why business was down last year at the bowling alley location? Would that location be more viable with better PR and simply the fact that the eyesore has been torn down?

    I look forward to some fact-based, productive discussion of this important topic.

  7. Tom Calarco Avatar
    Tom Calarco

    Criticizing Weisgerber doesn’t solve the problem. People need to stop bickering and get to work on finding a resolution. There’s no reason the Farmers Market can’t continue in downtown Loveland. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We shouldn’t let personal politics interfere in making Loveland better. We put our trust in our elected leaders to do what’s best for us, and it is their duty to do so.

  8. Off the rails in Loveland Avatar
    Off the rails in Loveland

    For Rob Weisgerber to say anything about a parking problem without first apologizing to the residents and business owners of Loveland….give us all a break. Is he such a political egomaniac or historical revisionist to think everyone has forgotten it was he and his council pals, aided and abetted if not led by the nose by Tom Carroll, who created this downtown mess? His two faced, double talk has reached new heights.

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