Van Alstyne's farmers market is set to spend the cold months inside the city's Recreation Center under an agreement the City Council will consider Tuesday.
The agreement with Swell Markets & Events LLC, which the document also refers to as the Railcar Farmers Market, lists 12 market dates on alternating Tuesdays, beginning Oct. 13 and ending March 23. The council meets at 6:30 p.m. that same Tuesday, Oct. 13, at City Hall, 152 N. Main Drive.
According to the staff summary, the council approved an agreement with the company in March for markets at the Central Social District. The winter version is similar, and the main change is location: the market moves from the Community Center to the Recreation Center.
Staff picked Tuesdays because the Recreation Center is closed to the public that day, so the markets would not get in the way of its regular use.
What the agreement covers
- The company gets non-exclusive use of the Recreation Center gymnasium, restrooms and parking from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on each market date, and may use the parking lot shared with the Senior Center.
- It pays the city $80 per market and must bring its own tents, tables, tablecloths and chairs.
- It must clean up after each event, return the building to its prior condition and lock up when markets end.
- The city can cancel a market day for weather or safety, and pets are not allowed inside unless they are registered service animals.
The agreement runs from Oct. 12 through March 30, and either side can cancel with 90 days' written notice. Staff say they will bring back a summer market agreement for the Central Social District when this one expires.
