CONCEPTS FOR NEW FARMERS MARKET STUDIED
Parkville is awaiting word on a major request on a grant from the Platte County Parks Board.
The city is asking the county parks board to redirect a $1 million grant that the county had awarded to the city for the purpose of constructing ballfields in Platte Landing Park. Now the city would instead prefer to use the $1 million toward rebuilding its recently demolished iconic Farmers Market downtown.
“We are supposed to hear in the next couple days on the transfer of the grant,” Mayor Dean Katerndahl told The Landmark on Monday.
“Once we know the results we will set up a public meeting to discuss our design options given the funds we have,” the mayor added.
Some options being looked at by the city range in price from $829,231 to $1.6 million.
As for location, the mayor has said it seems likely a new Farmers Market will go in it at the previous location in a downtown parking lot near English Landing Park.
“All of our discussions have indicated most folks want it right where the old one was. I’m sure that’s where it will be,” Katerndahl said last week.
Joe Vanover, a member of the Platte County Commission, was present at the county parks board meeting when the Parkville request was presented. Vanover said none of the members of the county parks board were against Parkville’s request.
The request still has to be approved by the county commission before the funding from the county parks budget could be moved to the Farmers Market project.
“The county commission discussed Parkville’s request today. No decisions were made,” Vanover said on Monday.
A letter signed by Mayor Dean Katerndahl, City Administrator Alex Barton and Brittanie Propes, parks and recreation director, was presented to the Platte County Parks and Recreation Board last week.
The letter puts in writing the city’s interest in redirecting the park grant funds it has been approved to receive from the county. The city wishes to redirect the $1 million grant that was originally intended for ball fields in Platte Landing Park to rebuilding a new Farmers Market.
The former iconic market was torn down recently after the city received an insurance settlement of $455,000 from the insurance companies of two trucks who had damaged the structure beyond repair in two separate incidents last year.
“Firstly, the Farmers Market project addresses a pressing need in our community,” the letter states, describing the market as “a true draw of tourism and wonderful use of open-air space for citizen enjoyment.”
The city’s letter to the county parks board goes on to say that “without your assistance, the Farmers Market structure and much-needed services it provides within our community will lay dormant and unproductive.”
The city says “there is a true need and desire for locally grown, organic, fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and various produce items that make up our farmers market. By re-establishing our Farmers Market, we can address these issues and concerns by promoting healthy eating habits that contributed to improved overall community wellness. In addition, the Farmers Market is an important activity center for the community helping contribute to the vitality of both Parkville’s riverfront parks and the downtown.”
City leaders say the Farmers Market project has strong community support. “We have done extensive outreach and have received overwhelming support from local farmers, vendors and community members. Many have expressed their eagerness to participate in returning to this outdoor space and see it as an opportunity to showcase all of the benefits of Platte Landing Park and English Landing Park, where the Farmers Market shares space with our existing ballfields, sports courts, shelter houses, playgrounds, green space and trails.”
The letter continues: “Shifting the grant allocation to the Farmers Market will allow us to better meet our community’s needs. The community has indicated they would prefer to have ball fields at some other location than Platte Landing Park, which we will be addressing in our Park Master Plan update this summer.”
The letter from city officials to the parks board emphasizes that “the most impactful investment for parks and recreation at this time is rebuilding and reopening the Parkville Farmers Market.”
City officials go on to say that “we understand that changing the grant allocation may require some adjustment to the initial plans. However, we are confident that the Farmers Market project presents a compelling case for why this change is necessary and beneficial to our community, county and region.”
