Farmers market, growth

and festivities head

Fairview council’s agenda

 

By Jack Pemberton

Staff writer

Mar. 22, 2018

 

FAIRVIEW—The city council in Fairview devoted much of their meeting last week to this year’s farmers market and the city’s potential growth.

At the council’s regular meeting on Thursday, March 15, Charlet Pemberton, director of Fairview Economic Development, presented her request for council approval to use property for a weekly farmers market.

Also on the agenda, Kristann Gillies, owner of acreage on Day Road north of the city, presented her plans to the council for upcoming festivities and requested some infrastructure enhancements.

Pemberton announced that work is moving forward rapidly for the Fairview Farmers Market, which is planned for every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning June 16 and running through October 27. It also will be open on Tuesday, July 24.

Many people have already expressed their intentions to be vendors in the market.

A website (http://FairviewFarmersMarket.com) has been set up with instructions for prospective vendors to apply for selling space and includes details concerning permits and other requirements for cottage kitchens, food handler card, etc. Prospective vendors can also sign up for the vendor news emails.

Plans include a children’s market for vendors under 12 years of age to sell their own production of vegetables, eggs and crafts or other similar wares. They cannot sell cooked food since they cannot obtain a food handler card.

There will be music, sometimes live, and a picnic area where neighbors can mingle and visit with one another.

Pemberton said, “After four years and thousands of hours of volunteer effort for the Chocolate Festivals, we have managed to save almost $2,000. We want to use a part of that to start up another community activity that will help improve the lifestyle in Fairview, especially for older people who cannot raise a garden anymore.”

She added, “What we need now is for the council to approve the use of the area between Peterson Dance Hall and CentraCom—that strip of grass that runs from State Street to 100 East.” During the council’s discussion, several members voiced concern about schedule conflicts with family reunions in the pavilion behind the city library and weddings that sometimes use that grassy area.

The council voted to allow the farmers market to use the area.

Gillies owns some acreage on Day Road north of the city and plans to soon build five homes on the property for her children.

Because other property owners there also plan to build homes in the near future, she expressed her concern and hope that the city would consider extending its sewer and water utilities to that area. Otherwise people will be installing wells and septic systems only to have them replaced in a few years with a city system.

Gillies and her family have already begun to carry out ambitious tourist activities for the area, some of which they plan to have ready for the public this summer.

These include dinner date and family nights with a variety of entertainment activities, Airbnb bunkhouses, a picnic area with fire pits, fishing in their trout lake, a combat area called TacWars, including archery tag (Bow-Tag), Airsoft and paintball events.

This fall will bring “The Haunted Ranch and Village,” children outdoor activities center and a pumpkin patch.

Her business plan includes having reindeer and a petting zoo, along with winter activities complete with Santa Claus in the near future.

Justin Jackson, the city’s sewer and water department director, was in attendance and recommended that the council move to initiate an estimated $10,000 engineering study to determine the factors the council needs to address regarding an eventual extension of services to the Day Road area.

He also confirmed that water pressure at a fire hydrant near the Gillies property is below the legally required threshold.

The council voted to place the engineering study on next month’s agenda since the law requires consideration of such expenditures to be on a published agenda before the council can spend the funds.

In other business, David Taylor, the city’s mayor, reported on the recent wage study concerning Fairview City employees’ wage scales. He reported that employees were not being advanced in their wages in a normal or typical way and that he would like to see that changed.

A brief discussion was held regarding the upcoming budgeting process, and a first work meeting was scheduled for council members to begin hammering out the next annual budget. The meeting was set for 6:30 p.m. on April 4.

It was also noted during the usual voucher approval process that the Miss Fairview Pageant cost $1,800 this year.