Vendors wait on 'sketchy' farmers market plans

The head of the Market Square Vendors Association in Sudbury says the new farmer's market site may generate money for the city.

City staff estimate Sudbury taxpayers will subsidize the farmer's market by $70,000 this season. But the head of the vendors association said she suspects otherwise.

"Now that the city owns that CP station, they will have revenues from parking all week," Christine Koltun said.

"So, right there, that's money coming in ... then on the weekend you have the revenue from the vendors, so I can see this market actually making money for the City of Sudbury."

At a meeting Tuesday night, Sudbury city council announced more modest plans for renovations to the downtown train station, which it bought from CP Rail for $400,000.

That plan includes more focus on an outdoor plaza area, with fewer indoor renovations than originally planned.

Those plans will affect indoor vendors the most, Koltun said.

She said she's happy with the outdoor portion of the market, but less so with the plans for the interior.

And Koltun said she isn't sure how the decision will be made regarding which indoor vendors still have space to sell their wares.

"It's quite sketchy at this time, we don't know how many vendors will be inside," she said.

"We dont know how much renovation has to be done. The original plan at last year's supervisory meeting was to have 12 indoor 10x10 spots and, at this point, it doesnt even look close to that."

She added she's unsure of whether all the necessary renovations will be complete by the city's announced June 22 opening date.

How to run the market?

In the meantime Sudbury city councillors have delayed a decision on how the new farmer's market will be run.

When plans were set to move the market to the Elgin Street train station, several councillors hoped it would be set-up as a municipal corporation.

The Sudbury airport has thrived since the city stopped running it and the facility switched to its own board of directors.

City council has asked staff to come back with a more thorough report.