By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — It appears the Kosciusko County Farmers and Artisans Market will likely remain in downtown Warsaw.
Two of the organizers said they felt blindsided recently when a plan to renew the annual street closing for the summer-long program was delayed after some city officials expressed an interest in looking at whether it should be relocated out of the downtown because of the inconvenience of street closings.
Within a matter of days, two petitions, including one online, were organized to underscore the market’s popularity.
At the same time, Main Street Warsaw and the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce reached out to 34 merchants in downtown Warsaw to gauge their thoughts on whether the market should remain on Center Street in front of the Kosciusko County Courthouse.
Parker said 34 stakeholders said they support the market remaining on Center Street, and one opposed, including part of Buffalo Street as part of the overall closure.
Parker said he does not support closing Buffalo during the ongoing construction along Indiana Avenue, which is part of a major exterior renovation by Lake City Bank that’s expected to continue into the summer.
Talk of the annual plan to approve the closure of streets for the market was tabled earlier this month after some questions arose about whether merchants see the market as a plus on Saturday mornings despite the street closings.
Parker said the survey provides convincing evidence that the market should stay in the downtown.
Parker said Main Street Warsaw and the chamber have always supported the market in its existing location.
“We believe very strongly, have always believed, that it’s beneficial to have that happen in the downtown on Saturday mornings because it draws people to the downtown,” Parker said.
“We’re going to work hard to make sure it moves forward and not delay it any further,” he said.
But he cautions that the survey focused on Center Street and not Buffalo Street, which he said needs to remain open in light of part of Indiana Avenue being closed due to a Lake City Bank construction project.
Lisa Hawley and Josh Fox, the market’s co-directors, talkd with News Now Warsaw shortly after Parker shared his findings and were cautiously optimistic, despite some lingering anger over how the issue surfaced.
“It’s great, but I don’t think it’s over. I think the city council will come after the market after this year to be moved,” Hawley said.
“It sounds good if it truly is,” Fox said. “I guess time will tell. My gut says there might be a hidden agenda in there. I don’t know.
The city board of works will address the issue at its meeting on March 6.
The board of works often welcomes input from the city council and the chamber on a range of issues.
A specific relocation plan has not been proposed, but some, over the years, have suggested Central Park would be a good option.
The market used to operate at the Kosiusko County Fairgrounds but moved to downtown about 13 years ago.
Despite having competition from a similar market in Winona Lake, the Warsaw market has continued to do well and saw traffic increase last year.
In fact, more vendors began using Buffalo Street (between Market and Center streets) last year, and it was further bolstered by Krista Brown, the owner of Maggie’s Coffee and Treats, who helped organize a “cars and coffee” promotion that attracted classic car owners to downtown.
Parker said he thinks some city council members wanted to pause it to evaluate whether there was a better option.
He said he believes opinions from his survey provide a “solid footing” for elected officials to make informed decisions rather than “knee-jerk decisions” based on a few opinions.
Negative opinions often stand out, he said, because most people who like something are less inclined to be vocal about it.
Brown said she thinks the Main Street survey sends a strong message.
“People in the community want the market to stay where it is, and they’re happy with it,” Brown said.
