The Parkville Board of Aldermen recently took up the question of whether or not to build the new Parkville Farmers Market to be enclosed in the future, opting to not build the structure for future enclosure.
Last month, the board met in joint session with CLARB (Community Land and Recreation Board) and agreed to move forward with plans to rebuild the market, which was damaged due to two impacts by trucks in 2022 and was demolished in 2023. The board failed to reach a consensus on whether or not to spend the additional $80,000 it would take to build the structure to make later enclosure easier, creating a year-round farmers market.
By the end of the meeting, the board decided not to spend the additional funds to make later enclosure easier.
Board members were curious what cities with year-round enclosed markets used their structures for in the off season, with Parkville Parks Director Brittanie Propes answering that question at the Tuesday, May 7 meeting of the board of aldermen.
Propes provided a laundry list of uses for the year-round structure. Winter and fall produce, Christmas markets, craft fairs, fundraisers, company picnics, celebrations of life, parties, 5K packet pickups, makers markets, yoga classes, youth classes, scout meetings, food truck rallies and as an added
City Administrator Alexa Barton outlined some of the background on funding for the project. Before the structure was hit, city officials knew the structure was reaching the end of its useful life. The structure stood in another city for 30 years before it was purchased by Parkville and moved to its place in the city parking lot 35 years ago. The years, and repeated soakings by the Missouri River have aged the structure, and city officials had set aside $250,000 for either a major renovation or replacement even before the trucks struck. After the two accidents – which happened only months apart – the city was in negotiations with it insurance for some time, and hoped to receive $700,000. In the end, the city received $350,000 from insurance. The county also received a partnership grant from Platte County Parks and Recreation for $1 million.
The board discussed whether the structure should be designed for the addition of restrooms when the market was enclosed. Austin Massoth of BBN Architecture said it would be difficult to predict building codes in the future and it would be cost-prohibitive to try to build in the capacity for restrooms for a future project that may never come to pass.
Alderman Phil Wassmer said he’d received a lot of negative feedback on the design of the building with the garage doors. Alderman Tina Welch said she’d received just the opposite, with constituents urging her to vote to build the structure for future enclosure.
Alderman Brian Whitley said he was a fan of the Des Moines, Iowa model, where the farmers market was held in tents and drew 25,000 people per weekend. He said he doesn’t want the city to fall into “financial quicksand,” with the project and shouldn’t commit future boards to a costly enclosure project.
Alderman Allyson Berberich said she agreed with Whitley.
“The money we should be spending is what the public asked – to replace what was there,” said alderman Doug Wylie
Alderman Bob Bennett disagreed with several of the other aldermen.
“I think this plan is pennywise but pound foolish,” Bennett said, stating some of the suggestions to use tents or plastic flaps to enclose the structure would make the city look cheap.
Welch agreed that tents or plastic flaps would age quickly outdoors and would look unsightly.