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August 12. 2012 10:29PM
Sides, politicians hopeful for resolution to Manchester farmers market discord
MANCHESTER — A long simmering dispute about the city’s farmers market may reach a resolution this week when Mayor Ted Gatsas and Ward 3 Alderman Pat Long sit down with both sides this week to work on a settlement.
“I hope they all go back to the original market,” Long said.
Jane Beaulieu, who represents some of the disgruntled farmers upset with the current market, said the farmers are losing money from not being able to sell their produce at the weekly Concord Street market.
“They just want to be able to sell in the city,” she said.
A group of farmers split off from the Concord Street market this year after a change in leadership led to a dispute. The separatist farmers tried to get their own market started in the city.
“Manchester is one of the better farmers markets,” Long said. “When they had that breakup, they put us in a bad light.”
Log contends the Concord Street market is running half empty since the break-up and the city cannot support two separate markets, each taking business from the other. He wants to see all the farmers back in one location.
Gatsas also supports going back to one farmers market.
“Hopefully we’ll have one farmers market in Manchester,” Gatsas said last week.
The dispute started earlier this year when the original sponsor, Intown Manchester, wanted the farmers to start paying for liability insurance. The non-profit that governed the market dissolved. The new non-profit that took its place donated all of the unspent funds to the New Horizons soup kitchen.
Beaulieu said the farmers upset by the moves made by the nonprofits were then shut out of the market, forcing them to try to start their own at a new location.
“There’s a lot of ‘he said, she said’ stuff,” Long said. “That’s why we’re having the meeting.”
Gatsas supports Intown coming back to run the market as a way to quell the conflict. Parties for both sides in the dispute, as well as their attorneys, will sit down with Gatsas and Long on Wednesday to hammer out an agreement, Long said.
“We’re looking out for the best interests of Manchester,” Long said.
dfisher@unionleader.com
Staff writer Doug Alden contributed to this report.
“I hope they all go back to the original market,” Long said.
Jane Beaulieu, who represents some of the disgruntled farmers upset with the current market, said the farmers are losing money from not being able to sell their produce at the weekly Concord Street market.
“They just want to be able to sell in the city,” she said.
A group of farmers split off from the Concord Street market this year after a change in leadership led to a dispute. The separatist farmers tried to get their own market started in the city.
“Manchester is one of the better farmers markets,” Long said. “When they had that breakup, they put us in a bad light.”
Log contends the Concord Street market is running half empty since the break-up and the city cannot support two separate markets, each taking business from the other. He wants to see all the farmers back in one location.
Gatsas also supports going back to one farmers market.
“Hopefully we’ll have one farmers market in Manchester,” Gatsas said last week.
The dispute started earlier this year when the original sponsor, Intown Manchester, wanted the farmers to start paying for liability insurance. The non-profit that governed the market dissolved. The new non-profit that took its place donated all of the unspent funds to the New Horizons soup kitchen.
Beaulieu said the farmers upset by the moves made by the nonprofits were then shut out of the market, forcing them to try to start their own at a new location.
“There’s a lot of ‘he said, she said’ stuff,” Long said. “That’s why we’re having the meeting.”
Gatsas supports Intown coming back to run the market as a way to quell the conflict. Parties for both sides in the dispute, as well as their attorneys, will sit down with Gatsas and Long on Wednesday to hammer out an agreement, Long said.
“We’re looking out for the best interests of Manchester,” Long said.
dfisher@unionleader.com
Staff writer Doug Alden contributed to this report.
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