Maryville to Move Farmer’s Market to Park

By Charles Feldman, Reporter

The Maryville Farmer’s Market will be held in Firemen’s Park this year according to action taken by the Maryville Village Board at its February 20 meeting.

This will ease parking problems and make it more accessible, according to Mayor Craig Short.

“The parking will be very similar to Homecoming,” Short said.

It will utilize the parking lot at New Rivers Assembly of God Church, he said. Village attorney Ron Motil will be working on an ordinance to allow handicapped parking on the south side of Perry Street along the pavilion, according to Short.

“We will be blocking off Donk Street and Union Street right there by the fire department in order to allow for parking for some of the vehicles associated with the Farmer’s Market in order to keep the[m] out of the park as much as possible,” Short said.

This is the second year for Maryville’s Farmer’s Market. Opening day will be on May 23. Moving the location is one of a few changes for the 2019 season.

“They just wanted more visibility from 159,” said trustee Julie Clark.

”They’re starting a little bit later, they’re ending a little bit sooner and they’re periodically going to have markets in Collinsville,” Short added.

“They decided to start later this year because last year they didn’t have any produce until the end of May anyway,” he said.”And then, because being in Fireman’s Park, there are logistic things they have to work around like Homecoming. That’s when they’ll go to Collinsville. This will work out very nice.”

The market will go to Collinsville on three occasions, then be part of Collinsville’s Market on Main Festival six days after its final event in Maryville on September 5.

The mayor also reported that the village’s salt supply for its streets in winter is running low.

“We order salt in June and July of each year and we base that upon a three-year average,” he said.

“Over the last three years we haven’t used a whole lot of salt but we’ve had some significant events this year,” Short said. “And all the yards or everybody is in the same boat that we are. So say a prayer for no weather that we’re gonna need salt for for awhile because it’s hard to find right now.”

He said that the village has received all the salt the yards have been holding back for it in reserve and if any more is needed it will have to be purchased on a first-come, first-served basis and the price will be higher. He said Street Supervisor Clint Jones is working on that issue.

If there is another ice storm, the intersections would still be salted.

Republic Services reported that during the month of January, curbside pickup of trash was 221.86 tons, up from 216.23 last January; curbside pickup of recyclables was 46.95 tons; and  that of yard waste was .75 tons.

In other action the village approved:

• Applying for Park Commission Funds from Madison County under the Park Enhancement Program.

• Declaring the property at 6300 West Main Street as surplus to be sold.

• The purchase of two Argus thermal imaging cameras for the fire department at a total purchase cost of $8,798 plus shipping.

• The purchase of two sets of irons for the fire department for use on their cabs for forcible entry and firefighter rescue at a total purchase cost of $649.98 plus shipping.

• A bid from Wellington Environmental for asbestos testing before demolition of a house that the fire department has been using for training at 1345 Pleasant Ridge Road.