By KENNY WALTER
Staff Writer
OCEANPORT — The borough may join the ranks of Sea Bright, Red Bank and Monmouth Beach in providing a farmers market.
Councilwoman Ellyn Kahle brought up the possibility of allowing a farmers market during the April 7 workshop meeting where she suggested the move could help bring the community together.
“There is a lot that we can do, and we are really looking for something where we can bring the community together, not necessarily a moneymaker,” Kahle said. “It’s more like a meeting place where we can have some kinds of events, we can have the farmers market with the fresh produce all season, all the way into October.”
Kahle said the current plan is to have an outside manager handle the farmers market for $4,500, most of which would be recouped back to the borough through vendors. She said the manager would be in charge of soliciting the vendors and managing the farmers market. The manager would also ensure the vendors are reputable, the produce is fresh and safe and would set pricing.
The borough would also appoint a committee to help with the farmers market.
Kahle said the council has considered a farmers market in the past.
“As you know, we’ve been looking for a farmers market in Oceanport, we looked last year,” she said. “We had a company that came in and presented to us, but they were really a resale sort of market, and really for Oceanport, we wanted to have a true farmers market.”
Council President Joseph Irace said some of the issues in the past would be who would provide insurance on the farmers market and what days and hours the market would run.
“If they don’t do this on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday it is not attended well,” he said.
Kahle said the insurance would be provided by whoever owns the land the market is being held on. She said it is possible to hold it on borough land, but Kahle also expects to approach the owners of Monmouth Park to see if they would be interested in serving as the host to the farmers market.
Kahle said also the current thought is to have the farmers market open from 2-7 p.m. on Tuesdays because most of the surrounding towns already have established farmers markets, and the vendors would only be available certain times and days.
“Really, the plan is to get the person in place, then you get the committee in place, then you get where you want to have and what time and what days,” she said. “There are so many farmers markets in our area, you have to see where you can get the vendors.”
Kahle said she has attended various seminars explaining the best ways to run and organize a farmers market.
“I attended a couple of seminars on how to get this going in Oceanport because really it is a daunting task to do it,” she said.