Warren County Farmers Market is open until the third Saturday in December.
Operated by Warren County Agricultural Producers Association to feature locally grown produce, its agreement with the city of McMinnville for use of the pavilion is up for consideration. While the organization strives to offer produce that is fresh, its agreement is more than a year overdue for renewal.
“Since 1992, we have upped this (agreement) to 10 years,” said Farmers Market member J.B. Brown. “David Rutherford (former city administrator) didn’t like a 10-year contract. He didn’t like to do anything more than five years and we were used to 10. That’s why this went into arrears. We are short a year this time.”
Brown asked members of the city Finance Committee to consider signing a new 10-year agreement and make at least one other change. Currently, the agreement states “only produce, fruits, vegetables, meats, and the like may be sold at the market pavilion which is grown or produced in Warren County.” He asked that it be changed Tennessee.
“It says produce is limited to Warren County,” said Brown. “We are Tennessee products and UT based. We would like to change that to only Tennessee products. That’s mostly it, except the dates have changed. I didn’t know if we could back the date up to February of last year.”
The organization does not have exclusive use of the pavilion except during the times specified by the contract: Wednesday and Saturday of each and every year from 4 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning the first Satuday in April and ending on the third Saturday in December, and Friday of each and every year from 12-5 p.m. beginning the first Friday in June and ending on the third Friday in November.
The contract was sent to the city’s legal counsel for consideration.