Minutes - Public Market Advisory Commission

CALL TO ORDER

Vice Chair Goetz called the meeting to order at 5:35pm

ROLL CALL

5 - Lisa Young, Jeff Nemeth, Emma Hardy, Will Brinkerhoff,

and Karlene Goetz

Present:

Absent:

1 - Marcus Flores

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

A motion was made by Young, seconded by Brinkerhoff, that the

Agenda be Approved as presented. On a voice vote, Vice Chair

Goetz declared the motion carried.

FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTARY (AGENDA ITEMS ONLY) - (3 Minutes per Speaker)

No public commentary provided

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

A motion was made by Nemeth, seconded by Hardy, that the

Minutes be Approved with changes, that Commissioner Nemeth

was marked as absent incorrectly last month. On a voice vote, Vice

Chair Goetz declared the motion carried.

REGULAR BUSINESS (AGENDA ITEMS)

I. General Updates

a. Events

Cooking Demo #1 May 13

Market Manager Stauffer shared that the 1st Cooking Demo of the

season was last Wednesday, and was one of the best attended

ones yet since it was attended by a large field trip of 4th graders

from Burns Park Elementary. Assistant Market Manager Moss led

the demo, creating a dish featuring market asparagus, and all

participants got a sample. Many of the kids asked for seconds of

the asparagus and they were very engaged when talking about their

favorite fruit and the science of vinaigrette! Stauffer reminded the

commission that the cooking demos this season will be on the 2nd

Wednesday of the month at 11am, May-September, and that they

are sponsored by a food safety grant from Michigan Farmers

Market Association for the 4th year in a row.

Flower Day May 24 10am-4pm

Stauffer affirmed that the annual flower day event will be this

coming Sunday, in partnership with the Sunday Artisan Market. In

addition to the artisans from that market, there will be 7-8 growers

from the market as well as a few other regular vendors and

prepared food vendors, including Simply Spanish food cart. She

said there would also be live music, kids’ activities, and what

sounds to be good weather.

A2Zero Week Food Walking Tour June 3 11am-1:30pm

Stauffer discussed the upcoming A2Zero Week Food Walking Tour

that will start at the market at 11am on Wednesday June 3rd. She

invited anyone who wants to participate to RSVP, and that the

walking tour will be visiting local food and beverage businesses in

the downtown area, including market vendors and others popping

up for the day, Argus Farm Stop, Bev’s Bagels, Bloom Meadworks,

Roos Roast, Zingerman’s, and more.

2nd Annual Asian Night Market June 12 5-9pm

Stauffer announced that the 2nd Annual Asian Night Market will be

held at the market on June 12, 5-9pm. She said it will be filled with

food vendors, artisans, live music and performance, and will be a

wonderful celebration of Asian culture. She noted that this event is

happening in partnership with Marupo ACTS, the non-profit arm of

former vendor Marupo EATS, and they were able to secure many

wonderful grants for this year, and is hoping that this will become

an annual June event.

No June PMAC Meeting

Market Manager Stauffer reminded the commissioners that there

will be no June meeting as she will be out of the country visiting

family.

b. 2026 applications

Market Vendors & Food Truck Rally Applications closed

Stauffer affirmed that the market vendor and food truck rally

applications are now closed for the season. She said that they

received 84 applications for market vendors and many other

inquiries since market staff stopped accepting applications, a bit

higher than the 67 applications last year, although that may just be

because this year the application was available longer. To provide

data, market manager Stauffer said that out of those applications,

20% were for non-food artisans, ~60% value-added, with 40% of

that cottage food vendors, 8% farms, 12% mobile food vendors, &

4% ‘other’).

Stauffer noted as well that the food truck rallies have been capped

at 11-16 food businesses this year, mainly due to the uncertainty

around how the water main construction of 4th Ave will impact

market access for large vehicles like food trucks.

Commissioner Hardy asked what the process was for inquiries

after the closure of the market application and Stauffer answered

that they are told there are no openings, and depending on what

type of vendor they are, they may be pointed towards the Sunday

Artisan Market, Westside Market, or to other farmers markets in the

area using Michigan Farmers Market Association’s ‘farmers market

locator’ website tool.

Musicians & community groups application still open

She reiterated that market staff are still taking applications for

community groups for Wednesdays as well as live music for

special events and market days.

c. LOGOS to CivicRec Transition

New Yearly Invoicing Process for Annual & Daily Vendors

June 30 payment deadline

Market Manager Stauffer explained that the first round of invoices

for Annual Vendors have gone out and that I know a few vendors

received an email about it yesterday. She said that she and

Assistant Market Manager Oriol were working out the kinks and the

rest of the annual vendor invoices will be going out soon. She

mentioned that they prioritized annual status vendors because they

are required to pay yearly, but will also send the invoices soon to

daily status vendors that want to pay yearly. She also stated that

June 30 is still the payment deadline and with CivicRec it should be

easier to pay an invoice online, although vendors can still pay in

person on market days.

d. Food Assistance

$50 DUFB daily match began May 1

Stauffer noted that the daily SNAP match for Double Up Food

Bucks is now $50 as of May 1. She explained that last year it was

$20/day until the SNAP pause in November when they made it

unlimited matching. It had continued to be unlimited until May 1.

She said it is a wonderful program that is a win-win for both

customers and vendors, but it does mean that the market is

running out of green tokens again, event after ordering more in the

winter. She reminded vendors with green tokens to turn them in

ASAP.

DUFB grant paperwork submitted for approval

Stauffer shared that the market had just received their 2026

contract and grant paperwork for Double Up Food Bucks. She

explained in detail how the grant process works and how it often

takes months before completion since it needs multiple levels of

approval, including Parks Advisory Commission, City Council, as

well as City administrators. She anticipates that it will be completed

in July, which is similar to years past.

Prescription for Health program begins in June

Stauffer said that program participants should be getting their

Prescription for Health coupons in early June and that they get

$100 for the season to spend on fruits and vegetables at the

market. They are $1 paper coupons that all growers can take.

Commissioner Hardy asked if vendors knew that they can take

these coupons. Stauffer responded that all new vendors have been

informed about this program during their orientations, and it is also

in the email communications that are shared weekly, but there may

be a situation where vendors may not be making their staff aware

of their eligibility. She also noted that she did not think Prescription

for Health was able to be taken at market when our token signs

were created. Stauffer said as well that the person who helped

facilitate the program at Washtenaw County Public Health

Department had been promoted and we had been working with a

different person who had not been as communicative about the

program or shared as much information.

WIC Produce Connections & Senior Project Fresh

Market Manager Stauffer gave an overview of these programs and

how they had changed from being facilitated by market staff to

being grower-driven over the last two years. She also lamented

how the market went from 50+ growers participating to 3 in Senior

Project Fresh, and 1 in WIC Produce Connections. She said market

staff is hopeful that more growers will join the program, but

understands the barriers to entry that are now in place.

e. Facility & Repairs

Project to repair market columns & bolts complete

Market Manager Stauffer said that the project to repair the market

columns and bolts is now complete and vendors and patrons may

have noticed the repairs. She said she is not sure if the columns

will be painted still or if the concrete will be repaired in the areas

that it is needed, but that can be completed by Park Operations

when they are done with the urgent assessments and repairs

needed after the tornado at Vets’ Park.

Portable Toilets Upcoming Removal-

Market Manager Stauffer mentioned that due to ongoing issues of

vandalism and difficulty managing the functionality and quality of

the portable restrooms, the decision has been made to remove

them. She explained that the ability to lock the large one went away

in April when someone broke the lock off of it, and Park Operations

had not been able to assist coordinating with the sanitation

company due to the tornado damage at Vets Park. As a result,

Stauffer said that she arrived at market two weeks ago to someone

living in the large one. After that incident, she discussed the

situation with her supervisor Remy Long and they both made the

decision to have them removed, now that they are assured that the

throne will be staying there for at least another year.

Commissioner Hardy interjected that the spinning bird deterrents

do not work at all and that they should be removed and the netting

should return. Stauffer agreed, stating that they work so poorly that

Assistant Market Manager Moss took a picture of a bird ‘riding’ on

one of them. She also said that that picture has been shared with

the supervisors and they know they are not functional, and

hopefully that is something that can be addressed once Park

Operations is not inundated with tornado repairs.

RFP selection almost complete for 12 month community

engagement process

Commissioner Hardy asked when will they know the consultant’s

RFP has been selected and Stauffer answered that she is not sure

when that will be known but she will share that info as soon as she

has it.

Commissioner Young asked who will be doing the interviews for

the RFP selection and Stauffer answered that it is a team

comprised of her, her supervisors within Parks and Recreation,

Parks Planning Staff, and a representative from the Downtown

Development Authority (DDA)

f. Neighboring Construction Updates

Braun Court redevelopment

Market Manager Stauffer said that the last 4 buildings of Braun

Court had been demolished in the first weeks of May, and that the

demolition team is still clearing the site of debris. She also

mentioned that unfortunately the Bar at Braun Court building was

taken down during the May Cooking Demo, when 97 4th graders

from Burns Park and their teachers and parent chaperones were

there. The noise was a bit of a challenge to navigate as a result but

market staff made it work. She also mentioned that now that the

demolition is done, they will be prepping the site for the new

development, a 7 story ‘above market’ condominiums- 34 or 36

units, with an entrance to underground parking off the alley behind

that lot.

4th Ave closure

Stauffer also shared that she is not fully sure yet when the 4th Ave

partial closure will occur and the development team said that they

would give 2 weeks notice beforehand. The development team

stated June or July during the meeting we had with them before the

demolition, but market staff will not know that for some time still.

Stauffer also said that once the road closure happens, it means

that the South entrance to the market parking lot will be closed for

the duration of the water main project, ~4-8 weeks, while the North

entrance to the parking lot will be temporarily shifted to the North,

removing the signage and adding a ramp, so that large trucks and

other large farm vehicles can still get into the lot. She mentioned

that the development team said the duration of that should not be

longer than 2 market days before it is finished at the entrance goes

back to being fully open.

303 Detroit Street staging

Commissioner Hardy asked if this is the same project as before.

Stauffer answered that it was, although there had been some

delays since there was a change in the design plans of the 303

Detroit Street project. Mainly, since they decided not to put in the

car elevator, they had to resubmit plans to the City and it delayed

receiving their permit to erect the fencing inside the market

footprint.

II. Producer Only Subcommittee Report

Commissioner Hardy asked if vendor inspections had been

happening. Market Manager Stauffer answered that Assistant

Market Manager Moss has been doing inspections, starting with the

newest vendors and other vendors who have not yet been

inspected since the last inspector retired. Hardy was happy to hear

that.

NEW BUSINESS (NON-AGENDA ITEMS)

Market Manager Stauffer wanted to thank Commissioner Young for

her many years of commitment to PMAC, and support of the market

through her students, through her patronizing the market as a

customer, and more. Young said she would still be around to

support through the community engagement process and being the

‘squeaky wheel’ at planning commission or whenever it is needed.

SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT (NOT LIMITED TO AGENDA ITEMS)

Vendor Debbie Marx- said she wanted to chime in and say thank

you to Lisa for the many years of service for PMAC and hopes we

won’t miss her around the market and in the upcoming community

engagement process. She wants to thank everyone else for their

support of the market as well.

ADJOURNMENT

Vice Chair Goetz adjourned the meeting at 6:19pm

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