Closed for the Season

The Dexter Lake Farmer's Market is closed for the season.

The first post-season meeting of the DLFM was held at the Dexter Fire Hall at 7:30 PM, Wednesday 10/17/12

Present: Phil and Jan Robbins, Cort Richer, Pam Driscoll, Bonny Erickson, Dave Erickson, Marion Toepke McLean.

Marion reviewed the history and present situation of the market. We had run the market for three years on all-volunteer energy, and then this past summer we had Lauren Asprooth as a market day assistant, including doing the signs, for which she was paid.

The market was started by a group of people who became the first board. Marion, Pam, Bonny, David, and Sarah Hucka. Pam was the driving force in getting the group together and starting the market, and was market manager for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. She registered the market as a limited liability company. At the time we talked about a non-profit as the ideal form for the market, but did not initiate the process of becoming a non-profit.

In 2011 Marion became the registered owner and market manager, and over two seasons we evolved to having a "management team" which was Marion, Bonny and David, while Pam put in energy but concentrated on Pizzaldo.The recent season it has been hard for Marion, Bonny and David to keep up with the work of the market, and we have looked at the possibility of getting some grant money so we could hire someone for market manager tasks.

Bonny gives the financial report. The market is in sound financial condition and has continued to add to our reserve fund at about the same rate as for previous years.

Pam shared that she will be able to increase her time with the market and step back into market management at this point. She discussed stream-lining market management and the tasks of market management, so the work of market management would be easier.

Discussion of stream-lining the market ensues. Suggestions: drop consignment booth, SNAP cards, debit/credit cards. No tokens. Operate on a no-cash basis. Vendors would take care of the cash aspect, the market would use checks for any market-day disbursements. Vendors might pay market fees yearly only, no exchange of money at all on market day. (Bonny and David went to a well established farmers market in Minnesota where they do that).

Bonny spoke up against dropping the SNAP cards, stating that part of the community service of the market is to bring in SNAP (foodstamp) card customers, and noting that Dexter has a large low income population. Support for this sentiment was given by others.

Action point: No consignment booth. Encourage vendors to sell product for community members. Consensus on this plan.

Jan Robbins, Bonny, David, Marion and Pam all volunteered to act as Market manager on a rotating basis during the 2013 season.

We discussed taking SNAP and perhaps debit/credit cards but without using tokens, and paying vendors for these transactions by check.

We also discussed the fee structure for the market and perhaps going to $15 per market for food vendors and $10 per market for craft vendors. No paying a % of intake for anyone.

David has the website up and running, using the services of one of the employees of his private business. Thank you David! Let him know if you have any problem accessing the site.

It was commented that the e-newsletters this past season were good publicity and it was asked if they can be continued next season. Marion agrees to this, possibly with someone else as a substitute to do a newsletter if she's out of town.

Upcoming tasks: Prepare the annual report for the Parks Department. Marion will do this.

Next meeting was set for 6 PM December 5, at the Dexter Fire Hall.

Members will keep working on market planning and maybe a meeting or small group meeting might be set before the Dec. 5 meeting.

I apologize to those market members who might not have made it to this meeting, I never sent out a final meeting announcement confirming the time and date. Busy working! A week at the clinic in Astoria and then  back home for a week of work. Again, sorry for any inconvenience. Hope we see you at our next meeting!