Board president Bev Wiens says Orchard Park Mall, the owners of the property on the corner of Dilworth and Springfield, have agreed to another year and the market will be the same as it has been for the past 18 years.
Image Credit: Julie Whittet
March 28, 2015 - 10:34 AM
KELOWNA – After a confusing 2014 rife with rumours of a split and a possible move downtown, the beloved Kelowna Farmers' and Crafters' Market is nearly ready to open for the season, once again on Springfield Road.
The Springfield Road market is set to open April 1 and has been setting up inside the Parkinson Recreation Centre during the winter months.
Earlier this year board president Bev Wiens said Orchard Park Mall, the owners of the property on the corner of Dilworth and Springfield, had agreed to another year and the market will be the same as it has been for the past 18 years.
“We don’t have any definite plans to move right now,” she said, adding the market board is still shopping around for a more permanent location.
A rift between groups within the market emerged last year when the developer of a new 7.5 acre Granville Island style market called Urban Square announced they would offer the use of their back lot at a fixed rent for 15 years. The board initially voted 9-1 in favour of the move but at a special meeting a month later president of the Market Society, Wolfe Wesle, resigned and the society decided to stay.
Another option soon emerged when a local business, Lambert & Paul Construction Ltd., posted an ad claiming to be starting an open air market across from the current location on Springfield Road.
“We don’t have an agreement with him at this moment to move the market over there,” Wiens said. “He is planning on setting up a market but this current board hasn’t actually spoken to him yet. There’s nothing on paper for this year.”
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015