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however, in this case the work session was consistent with a request from Mr. Papé to bring back informa- <br />tion on the project before proceeding. He said that staff was recommending delaying the Farmers Market <br />improvements until a decision was made on the site for the City Hall master plan. He said it seemed prudent <br />not to make a significant capital investment in the Park Blocks site until the decision was made. <br /> <br />Mr. Svendsen said the Farmers Market representatives suggested several small inexpensive projects that <br />could be done in the interim, such as removing the drinking fountain. He noted that during Budget <br />Committee discussions Ms. Bettman referenced the project as a placeholder for projects to be done in <br />FY2008. He said representatives of the Farmers Market also indicated they were rethinking design of the <br />space and the market’s long-term needs and wanted additional planning time. He said that Noah O’Hare, <br />director of the Farmers Market, was available to answer questions. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy asked Mr. O’Hare to discuss the position of the Farmers Market. Mr. O’Hare said the market <br />was pleased with the allocation and had developed a list of recommended improvements that could be <br />accomplished prior to a decision on the City Hall master plan. He appreciated the reason for delaying the <br />projects and emphasized that some small improvements in the interim would be very helpful. He was <br />encouraged that the council was interested in the market’s segment of the local economy. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said his constituents consistently indicated how valuable the Farmers Market was and particularly <br />how valuable its downtown location was in proximity to the Saturday Market. He said the Budget <br />Committee and the council made clear their support for the Farmers Market and its downtown location. He <br />recalled that discussions of the allocation indicated the improvements were expected in calendar year 2007 in <br />anticipation of the next market season. He disagreed with the staff recommendation and felt that up to the <br />entire allocation should be used for improvements before the next market season as it would be at least 2010 <br />before site development began on that site if it was chosen for the new City Hall. <br /> <br />Mr. Papé agreed that the Farmers Market was very important to the community but had not heard the same <br />level of support for a downtown location. He asked if the market was discussing possible relocation to <br />accommodate expansion. Mr. O’Hare replied that no change in the downtown location was expected in the <br />foreseeable future. He said there was great potential to expand beyond the Park Blocks and that could mean <br />additional locations throughout the area with a downtown site remaining. <br /> <br />Mr. Papé asked if there were improvements short of the full $300,000 allocation that could be made. Mr. <br />Svendsen said there were smaller short-term improvements that could be made and the reason staff brought <br />the issue back to the council was a fiduciary concern about proceeding with major improvements if a <br />decision on the site was going to be made in a year. He said it should be the council’s decision whether that <br />was a reasonable investment of taxpayer money. <br /> <br />Mr. Pryor agreed with Mr. Papé’s remarks. He said he was very supportive of the Farmers Market but did <br />not want to spend money twice or spend it on a project that was short-lived. He was willing to move <br />forward with the recommended improvements on the basis that the market would remain in its current <br />location for several years and the improvements were reasonable and prudent. He was not certain it would <br />require the entire $300,000 allocation to complete the short-term improvements and was interested in <br />prioritizing projects to ensure the health of the Farmers Market over the next three to four years. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman said the allocation was an investment in downtown and questioned why the decision was being <br />revisited. She agreed with Mr. Kelly’s identification of the timeline for projects as discussed during Budget <br />Committee actions. She said the market was a local food source of the highest quality and in need of water, <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2006 Page 7 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />