EMCAC Meeting January 2014, Minutes

Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee
Minutes
Wednesday, January29, 2014
Eastern Market North Hall

Present: Donna Scheeder, Monte Edwards, Chuck Burger, Bill Glasgow, Tom Kuchenberg, Maurice Walters, Anita Jefferson, Angie Brunson and Richard Layman.

The meeting was called to order at 7:04 PM.

It was moved and properly seconded to approve the agenda with the addition of a Market Operations Committee report that would follow the Application Advisory review report. The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Burger moved and Mr. Kuchenberg seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the November 20, 2013 meeting as presented. The motion passed unanimously.

Report from the Chair
Ms. Scheeder called everyone’s attention to the meeting schedule which is included on the agenda and asked them to please mark their calendars.
She also reported that the period for comments on the re-design of the Eastern market metro Plaza has been extended and asked the members if they wanted EMCAC to send official comments. The sense of the group was that individuals could comment if they so desired but official comments from EMCAC were not needed.

Report from the Capital Improvements Committee
Mr. Edwards reported on the issues of damage to the brownstone caused by chemicals used to melt snow. He reported that products that significantly reduce damage are now being used at the Market. Mr. Edwards has been working with the Market Manager investigating special sealants to reduce future occurrences of this problem but allow the brownstone to “breath”. In addition, repairs, that may be extensive, will be needed to the badly deteriorated brownstone and Mr. Margeson is looking into getting this work done.

The Market Managers Report.
Mr. Margeson summarized the highlights from his written report.
There were no noise complaints this past month.
There will be a temporary rent decrease during the month of February. The price for a regular outdoor stall will be $20. This is to encourage outdoor vendors to come out to sell during the bad weather. Regular pricing will resume March 1st. There has also been reduced participation in Fresh Tuesdays during the winter months.
Mr. Margeson then discussed the issues with the big wooden doors in the Market. Difficulties include locking them, weather proofing and opening and closing them. Because they are historic components to the building he is limited in the number and types of solutions to these problems. There have also been complaints about the doors for people with disabilities. Some think the doors remain open too long allowing a lot of warm air to escape and cold air in. Mr. Margeson stated that this would be evaluated.
There were several questions from EMCAC members which were answered.
Parking was discussed. Turnover of spaces behind the market was addressed. Mr. Burger asked Mr. Margeson if the Market security officers could ticket cars that remained too long. He responded yes and that tickets have been issued.
Mr. Glasgow inquired as to whether 7th street could be opened on rainy weekends when there are no vendors using the street. He stated that he receives customer complaints about not being able to park anywhere near the Market. Others suggested better signage at the Hine lot. Some also expressed the opinion that parking enforcement was too strict.
Snow removal was also discussed including hazards that occur when snow melts and falls from the roofs of the Market and farmers shed.

Tenant’s Council
Mr. Broom and Mr. Snyder reported on the Tenant’s Council meeting that took place on January 9th. They presented a resolution 1-09-14-01 passed by the Tenant’s Council that presented 7 recommendations to pursue to alleviate parking problems that will be caused by the Hine construction. A copy of the resolution is attached to the minutes and the 7 recommendations involve the Sunday Farmers Line, Seward Square metering, Alley between 7th and 8th streets, basement storage, free satellite parking and parking permits for vendors. There were questions, comments and discussion. It was noted that there would be costs associated with the basement storage option. It was suggested that a survey of city owned properties that offered parking options is needed to implement the free satellite parking recommendation. It was also noted that removing metered parking on Seward square on Saturdays and Sundays would not necessarily produce more spaces for vendors as neighbors might fill them up before vendors arrive.
The Chair thanked the Tenant’s Council for their work developing the recommendations and asked for a motion to approve the recommendations for further study of their feasibility and impact. Mr. Kuchenberg so moved and Mr. Edwards seconded and the motion passed.
Mr. Broome presented three more motions, 1-09-14-02-04. They requested that management take steps to improve parking flow around the market, asked for improvements in snow removal procedures and expressed gratitude to market management for making the North Hall available for vending when extreme weather conditions are present.
Their report also noted that the Tenant’s Council will conduct an election for the Non-Food seat on EMCAC in April of 2014.

Report of the Application Advisory Review Committee.
The Chair, Anita Jefferson reported that the last round of applications had been completed and preparations are underway for the next round. Mr. Margeson stated that he would develop a calendar for all of the deadlines for this process for 2014. Ms. Jefferson emphasized that having a schedule was important so that vendors could set aside time in order to participate in the review process.

Report of the Market Operations Committee.
Mr. Kuchenberg reiterated the plan for gathering input for the development of the business plan for the Market. He asked that the vendors and merchants convene separate meetings for the purpose of reviewing the previous business plan goals and milestones and using that come up with recommendations for what should be included in the 2014 revision. Ms. Scheeder agreed to have a copy of the relevant pages from the previous plan posted on the EMCAC website so that vendors and merchants would have time to review them before any meetings. Ms. Jefferson asked if there could be someone to facilitate the meeting and Ms. Scheeder said there would be.

Community Comment
There were no further comments from the community.

The meeting adjourned at 8:44 PM.