Lyn Hainstock, manager of the Burnaby Farmers' Market, thought moving the market to the Burnaby Village Museum site last year seemed like a good idea.
Unfortunately, the move was rife with complications, she said, from the muddy ground to the lack of access for seniors, people on bikes or customers with dogs.
So this year, Hainstock has asked that the city allow the market to run in its previous location in the city hall parking lot.
But Burnaby council is concerned about what this might cost the city.
At Monday night's meeting, council referred a report on the proposal back to staff for more information, specifically, whether putting Porta Pottys in at the city hall location would be a city expense.
"My concern is, they have washroom facilities at the Burnaby Village Museum," Mayor Derek Corrigan said, adding when the market was at city hall from 2007 to 2010, the city pitched in to help pay for Porta Pottys. "There would be some difficulty, continuing to subsidize the operation."
The mayor also asked for more information from staff on why the market organizers want to move back.
Coun. Colleen Jordan mentioned that the market's move to the museum site was part of the museum's 40th anniversary celebration, which included free admission last year.
The museum hasn't yet finalized its budget for the 2012 season, and it hasn't been determined whether admission will be charged this year or not, she pointed out. If the museum does charge admission, people would have to pay an entrance fee to get to the farmers' market.
Museum staff had said they would cordon off a space for the market if it does charge admission, Hainstock said in a phone interview from Mexico, but that still wouldn't work for the market.
If the farmers' market is not able to move, they will lose most of their vendors, she said.
"We polled them, and a miniscule amount of vendors said they'd come this year if we stayed," Hainstock said.
Customers also asked to return to the city hall parking lot location, she added.
"The location is great, everybody loves it," she said "We lost a lot of customers because of (the move last year); hopefully we'll be able to get them back."
Last season, the market got off to a muddy start as the ground proved too damp to support the vendors' booths, Hainstock told the NOW last spring.
Museum staff helped them move onto one of the laneways on the property, out of the mud, but it was an inauspicious start for the relocated market.
Other problems arose, such as the distance from the parking lot, making it difficult for seniors to shop there, Hainstock said, and the museum property did not allow cyclists to bike there or dogs on the property.
This became problematic for the market's events, such as bring your dog to market day, where dogs can compete in various categories - cutest dog, curliest tail, etc. - for prizes, she explained.
On children's day, kids are invited to bring their bikes and decorate them, but at the museum location, the kids couldn't ride their bikes on the property, she added.
"They had to push their bikes around. We had three- and four-year-olds trying to push their bikes," Hainstock said.
The market also had to ask permission before serving cake at special events such as Canada Day, she added.
"It went on and on and on," she said. "It makes much more sense to do it at the other spot."
As for the toilet situation, Hainstock said she told city staff the Artisans Markets organizers would pay for it.
First, they asked if there was washroom access in the city hall buildings that customers could use, she explained, but as that wasn't possible, they were considering Porta Potty options.
If the market installs a semi-permanent set of Porta Pottys, fenced in and locked at the back of the parking lot, Hainstock said, they'd only have to pay $880 for the season.
But if they bring the Porta Pottys in on a weekly basis, they'll have to pay $6,000, she added.
They would prefer to put that money towards a coupon program for disadvantaged residents, giving them $20 for the market, she explained.
Hainstock hopes the city makes a decision on the move quickly, as the organizers need to prepare advertising in advance of the new season this spring.
