Farmers' Market Proposal

City of Ansonia

Farmers’ Market Proposal

Ansonia Economic Development Commission July, 2012

Plan for Ansonia’s Farmers’ Market Table of Contents Introduction Goals and Objectives State Certified Farmers’ Market Location Selection      

Parking Accessibility Safety Traffic Commercial Influence Visibility

Farmers’ Market Structure Vendor Spaces and Layout Fees Days of Operation Setup and Takedown Site and Grounds Maintenance Police Coverage Insurance Certification, WIC/FMNP Ambiance Closing Remarks

Introduction The premise of an Ansonia Farmers’ Market is not a new one but, after some earnest thought and projection, it turns out to be a viable consideration for Ansonia. Since embracing the City Center Plan as a guide for rejuvenating our Downtown, EDC initiatives are developed using this template. Ideas are now seriously explored for their potential and ultimately, finally acted on. This Farmers’ Market initiative has been crafted with consideration for the criteria and suggestions described in City Center Plan as well as the goals and objectives we consider in EDC. The addition of a Farmers’ Market affords us the opportunity to take a relatively low use and sparse location and transform it into a vibrant and enticing destination for Downtown. In lieu of a fee to participate, our growers have agreed to contribute seasonal landscaping help in the beautification of the Market and surrounding area. This “foliage in lieu of fee” request will also be presented to any out-of-town guests invited to join our Market in the future. The placement of street benches and art are also being considered for the area. In addition, this Market may very well be incentive to dressing up the flood wall since it now becomes the backdrop for the Farmers’ Market. All in all, this Farmers’ Market and its location achieve a number of EDC goals as well as keeping within the scope of the City Center Plan. Here, we are helping to breathe new life into our Main Street.

Vinnie Scarlata Chairman, Economic Development Commission

Goals and Objectives Ansonia’s Farmer’s Market has several objectives that also tie back to the City Center Plan. Aside from the obvious nutritional advantages and convenience of fresh produce, as well as the advantage it gives our growers and vendors, the Market has some strategic goals for Ansonia. Designed to help in the rejuvenation of our core. As with most EDC initiatives, the Farmer’s Market, anchored in close proximity to Main Street can help in generating some much needed enthusiasm for things new and fresh for Downtown. Increasing awareness of our Main Street. The Farmers’ Market will inevitably draw fresh faces into downtown. When tied to our existing commerce we have the potential of increasing visibility for Main Street. As we plan forward we’ll be looking at marketing strategies to help draw Market shoppers onto Main Street by plans such as coupon programs, brochures, locator maps, etc. Creating a destination. The objective is to expand commerce downtown while also portraying ourselves as the place to be for new business. The underlying goal of the Farmers’ Market is to ultimately devise a strategy that will take the new pedestrian traffic generated by the Market and expand it to Main Street and visa versa, thereby lending its hand in helping turn Downtown into a destination. Creating a draw for new businesses. Trying to attract new businesses to Downtown become easier with more activity and pedestrian traffic we have to claim. The Farmers’ Market gives people more reason to venture Downtown to shop. There by, each increase in shopping activity that we can generate shows better potential for success when new businesses considering Ansonia for a location.

State Certified Farmers’ Market Our Ansonia Farmers’ Market is proud to be a State Certified Farmers’ Market. Farm products are defined by Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) Ch. 1 Sec.11. Farmers Markets that are committed to CT Grown products and those that wish to work with CT DoAG receive a variety of benefits:  Yearly participation in the CT Farmers’ Market brochure  Yearly participation on the State website, www.CTGrown.gov  Additional promotional opportunities with a variety of media outlets  Market usage of CT grown Logo  An option to participate in supplemental food programs including WIC and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP)  Certified markets provide participating farmers the use of the farmer’s kiosk designation. This designation allows exempt items (jams, jellies, acidified foods, etc.) to be sold at certified farmers’ markets. Without this designation, off farm sales of these products are prohibited.  Support in dealing with other government agencies (federal, state and local)

Location, Location, Location In trying to decide on the best location for the Farmer’s Market a list of attributes was developed to rank the proposed sites. (Not necessarily in order of importance.)      

Parking – adequate patron parking as well as proximity to the Market Accessibility – handicap accessibility; ease of access to parking area or transit in relation to Market; vendor access for setup and take down. Safety – pedestrian safety to and from parking or transit; vehicle safety in and out. Traffic – effects on local traffic flow Local commercial influence – potential tie-ins to local commerce. Visibility – draw of attraction by its physical presence.

Each site was scored in these categories using a scale from 5 (best) 4 (good) 3 (fair) 2 (poor) 1 (n/a). The list of possible locations and their scores were:  Ansonia Nature Center 22  City Lot - East Main 25  City Lot – West Main 29  Ferrell Lot – Main St 24  Nolan Field 27  Vet’s Park @ City Hall 23 Based on the score cards of each location, the City Commuter Lot on West Main St. between ARMS and the train station scored the highest. Parking: Its size is large enough to accommodate the Farm Market while reserving approx. 150 parking spaces for patrons and local commuters. Accessibility: Parking is confined to the lots own perimeter and handicap accessibility is assured. Growers have an adequate amount of room to enter and leave for set-up and take-down without disrupting the type of through traffic flow you might normally see on Main or E. Main. Being adjacent to the Train Station this location affords the opportunity of attracting commuters to the Market before heading home at the end of their day. Safety: Since W. Main is not a through street and relatively low traffic volume, pedestrian and vehicle traffic is less likely to experience any safety hazards. We will expect to see a volume of Seniors visiting our Market on a regular basis and the low traffic volume of W. Main should make it more appealing. Traffic: When considering a location and its particular traffic issues, this site presents the best possible scenario for a Downtown placement. W. Main is not a through street so congestion in a retail area doesn’t apply. Market traffic flowing in and out of a location on Main or E. Main, do hold the potential for traffic delays and congestion.

A controlled intersection at Bridge and W. Main assures a measured flow of traffic onto and off of, W. Main when visiting the location, much like having a dedicated intersection for the Farmers’ Market. No other Downtown location has this advantage: additional traffic flow with no congestion or traffic safety issues. Local commercial influence: Looking at its relative proximity to Main Street, this location holds greater potential for foot traffic to make its way to our merchants and restaurants downtown. Its central location between Bridge St. and Railroad Ave. affords a broad potential of destinations onto Main St. when looking to expand your shopping or dining ventures. Visibility: Extra bonus feature is this location’s visibility from the Bridge Street overpass. While only a glance will be enough to catch your attention, with the right kind of signage it will be hard to miss Ansonia’s Farmers Market. Visibility by our regular transit commuters as well as our future cyclist and walkers from our walking trail, hold added bonus.

Farmers’ Market Structure The responsibility for management and coordination of Ansonia’s Farmers Market will fall to the Ansonia’s Economic Development Commission (Market Managers) as we hone its intricacies. Decisions on vendor invitations, new product additions beyond the allowed list, vendor disputes or rule infractions, insurance verifications, site maintenance and improvements all fall under the responsibility of EDC. EDC is also responsible for seeking input or approval from other city commissions where appropriate. The Ansonia Farmer’s Market will open with our local growers first. “keeping it Ansonia”. The initial Marketers invited to participate are: Marcucio Farms of Ansonia, Marcucio’s Farms of Derby, Marcucio’s Garden Center of Derby, Hill Top Nursery, East Side Nursery, Eddy’s Bake Shop, Tidmarsh Bakers and Big Y for their organic product line. We will also have an open space available for any local co-op growers from the Nature Center or other parts of town. As the

Market grows, the decision for when to expand and who to allow in will fall to the Market Managers. Produce selections will be a collaborative decision between our growers. Only Connecticut grown produce will be allowed, preferably locally grown. The list below is a partial list recommended by the State Dept. of Agriculture and can be expanded as needed. Allowed Products:  Fresh produce, fruits and cut herbs  Potted plants, vegetables and herbs  Fresh baked goods (see Health Dept. regs.)  Local honey and maple syrup (see Health Dept. regs.)  Pickles and relishes  Jellies and jams  Trail mixes and nuts  Bottled juices and beverages  Popcorn and kettle corn Some products like Honey and Syrups are regulated by the Health Dept. If the proper labeling is fixed to the product, EDC will assume the supplier has conformed to Health Dept. regulations. Additional discussions about suggested products offered can be found in the Conn. Farmers Market Reference Guide.

Vendor Spaces A portion of the West Main lot has been reserved for vendors and allows enough room to expand the Market as the venue grows. Approx. 6750 SF has been allocated for the Market. Spaces will be parceled out according to the needs of our vendors. To give a sense of proportion, if, for example, we used a structured dimension of 10 x 24, we could accommodated 10 vendors comfortably and probably crowd in another 2 or 3. However, we’re also referencing maximum space requirements when talking about 10 – 12

vendors. With plenty of capacity to expand there should be no necessity to crowd vendors. We will still achieve a nicely populated Market. Since our own Ansonia farmers will be the ones to pilot this Market they will naturally have the prime locations. As we accept guests from other towns they will be assigned locations to set-up and sell their goods on a first-come firstserve basis. All Market spaces will be assigned by the Market Managers. Any guests new to Ansonia’s Farmers Market must be assigned a location before allowed to set-up. Once assigned, this location will be deemed fixed to that guest. Should a guest be absent from the Market for 2 consecutive openings he forfeits his assigned space to the Market Managers for reassignment and will be assigned a new space upon his next visit.

Fees After discussions with Rick Mascuga of the Dept. of Agriculture, it seems that new Farmers’ Markets charge no fees to their guest vendors for the first several years while building the reputation of the Market. On about the 2nd or 3rd year, an annual fee is imposed to cover the costs of anticipated advertising and marketing for the Market. Following the lead of P&Z, our local growers have agreed that in lieu fees, they would supply seasonal landscaping for the Market. The City can look into appropriate planter designs understanding that our growers will plant and maintain the foliage. This offer will also be extended to our out-of-town guests as well. It doesn’t appear that neighboring Farmers Markets currently charge entry fees; however, it might serve Ansonia well by at least requiring a “foliage fee” for now. Why not?!

Days of Operation Comparing the days of operation of Markets in our neighboring towns it was discovered that Thursday is an available night. Thursday also happens to coincide with the extended late hours of our Main Street merchants. A Thursday Market works itself perfectly into the larger strategy of tying the

Market to our local commerce and expanding our draw into Center City. The plan is to draw homeward bound commuters into the Farmers Market, then through several marketing strategies, entice them to extend their visit to Main Street patronizing our local merchants for dining or shopping. An example: POP coupons exclusive to the FM can be distributed to patrons, special Thursday night promotions can be developed. Any number of promotional programs can be developed once we’ve established the Farmers’ Market downtown. Saturdays are also being considered as an additional open day, making it a two day Market. Initial times of operation will be Thursdays, 2:00 – 6:00, Saturdays, 9:00 – 12:00. These times may be modified as we move forward based on the input from our farmers and patrons.

Set-up and take-down The evening prior to the open of the market, Market Managers will ensure that ropes or barricades will be positioned to cordon off the vendor area of the parking lot. Signs defining the area will also be in place. The day of the Market, vendors will be able to begin set-up approx. one hour prior to open. Barricades may be removed earlier upon a vendors arrival provided that vendor wards off anyone unknowingly trying to park in the reserved area. Takedown of kiosks cannot begin until the set time of closing unless authorized by the Market Manager. Exceptions are: if a vendor runs out of product to sell before the end of the day or if there is an emergency preventing his stay.

Site and Grounds Maintenance Additional trash receptacles will be requested from Public Works for the new market. Nightly clean-up of individual spaces and their immediate surroundings will be the responsibility of each vendor. Any vendor leaving his area for the day and not cleaning his area will be given a warning. Repeated untidiness may result in a vendor losing his guest privilege at Ansonia’s Farmers Market. General grounds cleanup at the close of day will be

the responsibility of the on-site volunteer for the day, and ultimately the Market Manager.

Ansonia P D In checking with the Ansonia PD there is no need for additional police presence at the Market during ours of operation.

Insurance Holding for clarification In checking with Corporate Counsel, there may be no need for expansion of the City’s liability insurance to cover incidences at the Farmers’ Market much like our special city events. Hold Harmless agreements may be sufficient. Growers are checking with their insurance carriers as to the necessity of additional coverage off site. Farmers’ Market general info states that the Market becomes an extension of ones farm with respect to insurance liability. As of this writing, clarification is still pending but will be forthcoming. One question is co-op farmers and who protects them?

Connecticut Certified Farmers’ Market Ansonia Farmer’s Market is now a Connecticut Certified Farmer’s Market. Our growers have completed a training class conducted by Mr. Richard Macsuga from the CT. Department of Agriculture that now certifies them and our Market under the States guidelines for certification. This distinction gains us a place in the States listings of Certified Farmers Markets as well as access to any marketing materials available that promotes this program. This training and designation also allows our framers to be vendors in the WIC/Farmers Market Nutrition Program sponsored by the Conn. Dept. of Agriculture. Participants in this program are given checks that are redeemable for fresh fruits and produce only from certified farmers’ markets.

These program participants are Women Infants and Children as well as our seniors on assisted living. Additional information on WIC/Farm Market Nutrition Program can be found in the Conn Farmers Market Reference Guide or Conn Dept. of Agriculture’s web site. The ability of our Farmers to participate in these nutrition programs brings an established customer base to our Farmers’ Market as an extra bonus.

Ambiance As we move forward with the Farmers’ Market at this location we will be improving the overall appearance of the area. Potted planters with seasonal growth will begin to appear. The Mayor suggested removing the steel guard rail completely and keeping it an open and fresh venue. Street benches can accent the walkway. Plans to renovate or rebuild the entry shack can get underway. (a great Emmitt O’Brian project). And finally we may have some anticipated incentive to dress-up that damn flood wall. In reference to the flood wall, we’ve contacted (through our friends at Lowes) the regional sales manager from Valspar Paint Products, for his professional guidance in treating the flood wall. Whereas, in the past we’ve explored

graffiti-proofing the wall, that experiment has proven to be fairly expensive. It seems Valspar has some options available that will prove to be relatively affordable as well as effective. Ironically, the facing side of the flood wall doesn’t appear to be as troubled by graffiti as the back side giving us a better variety of options for treating and painting, (Muralizing!!!)

Closing In closing, I think we’ve chosen the best location for the Ansonia’s Farmers’ Market, with the greatest potential for Downtown growth. Common sense led most of the way in structuring the format of this new venue for Ansonia, never losing sight of the ultimate goals of economic development for the city. Much consideration was also given to the suggested criteria proposed by the Department of Agriculture and Mr. Rick Mascuga from their Bureau of Marketing. This Market, by its nature, holds yet another key element for the revitalization of our Main Street corridor. Respectfully Submitted, Vinnie Scarlata Chairman, Economic Development Commission