I'm honestly about to stop patronizing both the library AND the farmer's market if these two squabbling packs of children can't find some common ground. For institutions that are supposedly interested in things that benefit the community, they sure do both act like intransigent babies.

Every once and a while, the public becomes aware of what "everybody knows". Try being a contractor to the city and refusing to hire additional police details, the entire "majesty of the law" falls on you.

too bad there's not one single other place in the entire city the farmer's market could move to, like, oh, Capron Park, Willet School, Attleboro High School, City Hall, the MBTA commuter rail lot (totally empty on Saturday), etc etc.

Gee Whiz I can't imagine why businesses don't want to come to Attleboro. With this lovely over regulation over a simple farmers market what's not to like? The geniuses of city government want to dictate what shape the vendors booths must be laid out? Give me a break. Was there a major crime wave during last year's Farmer's Market that went unreported? Why the need for a cop now. The police station is 1600 feet away. It's broad daylight. There are several people around. Why not require a fire truck standing by. Those cucumbers can just burst into flames at any second. Why not an ambulance on scene. Gasp! Someone might get cut buy a corn shuck. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this the "municipal parking lot" and not the "library parking lot"?

Go to the farmer's market website, they have posted the videos of the hearings on line if you want to get a first-hand account. It really seems the council was keeping an open mind.

There are six videos, each about 10-15 minutes long. If you want the 'readers digest' version watch video six from 9:00 until the end.

Have it at Capron Park, downtown does not want or deserve it. At $320.00 Police details are a ponzi scheme being paid for mostly by the taxpayers. With all the cops on duty for every shift one couldn't walk over? Doesn't one already walk around in what's left of downtown? See you at La Salette.

I used to patronize the FM when it used to be in the City Hall lot that was situated between CH and the old PO/registry bldg. If one comes down west on 123, the turn-in to the lot is mere feet past the traffic light. I was nervous about drivers behind me not realizing I was slowing down to enter the lot. Plus, that area was small. I'm going to guess that Councilman Denlea's suggestion was for the bigger lot behind the police station? That certainly would make more sense in terms of safe access in/out of the lot, plus it has more room to accommodate a greater number of vendors. The old FM had fewer vendors, which made for very limited variety. The best FM's offer a =range= of produce.

If one compares the location of the FM at the library versus the City Hall lot, it seems the one at the library is way more visible. I like that. The FM is not only a great community resource (like the library) but also attracts visitors.

Then again, it's a good thing that the muni lot suggestion would make it easier for those who rely on the bus, as the bus shelter is basically right there.

I will be very sad if the two of my favorite institutions in Attleboro cannot work something out that promotes both of these...sources of pride for us residents.

As a vendor at this market, I can assure you that if the vendors have to pay extra rent fees to have a cop walk around for $160 an hour (of which they do nothing but answer elderly peoples driving directions questions and get FREE swag from the vendors. There was not a SINGLE incident that required a police officer all season.) you will not have a farmers market. Asking for a police officer to be stationed at the farmers market is another ploy by the Library Trustees to make it harder for the AFM to be there. There were no incidents that would even indicate that public safety was ever in jeopardy, the Board of Trustees is using that to make it sound like the publics best interests are their focus instead of the real reason, they are trying to show ownership over a parking lot that IS NOT THEIRS. For all of the people who are saying we should move to different various locations, here is why its best not: the Municipal Parking Lot is a city owned location and when a farmers market takes place on it, the market does not need to be taxed. When moved to any place other than a municipal lot, there has to be a tax imposed on all profits incurred by the market. If it took place in the AHS parking lot, the school would be taxed by the city for all profits made by vendors that day. Hence, outrageous fees. And since AHS has had enough problems with their lot being taxed, it best if we stay where we are. Either way, the Municipal lot is not owned by the Library.

Folks are leaving good suggestions on moving the AFM to the park, or the River walk or other spots, but trust me when I say that many locations have been investigated and AFM has been told no. It is very sad that all the sweat and toil to bring such a positive thing to the area is meeting such resistance.

Are you kidding me, a special council committee?
Their trying to sell fresh veggies for the benefit of all, tell the book worms to suck it up, the cops to do their job (with out "special" details) and keep the city the hell out of it !!!

Something just dawned on me. The Library isn't the only neighbor to that parking lot. New England Tire is on the other side, and I've heard not one complaint from them. Nor the hardware store, or any of the North Main Street businesses.

How about the Museum parking lot. or..the lot used by train commuters near fire station? The lower field at Willett School? The big field between Capron Park and the high school.( Although a location near center of Attle. would be better.) All that newly reclaimed land by the still standing "Old Barn" feed and grain store? What's wrong with that Mr&Mrs council people. Get off your high horses and just do it!

Well isn't this entertaining. Gretchen says that the high school is too far away for those who do not drive. Don't most of those people (who don't drive) live near city hall and would be better served if it were there? Anonymous, the detail is not $160 per hour and who are you giving your food to if there were no police there last year. Read those comments again, Anonymous wants to stay for tax purposes. To Steve Hopkins: Is the museum lot bigger than city hall? Easier parking at city hall than at the AA museum if you fill half the lot with vendors. They do not want to move, period. Lot near the fire station? private, the old barn? ARA (like they could do anything right). AFM does not want to move behind city hall, closer to the poorer section of the city because it is not yuppie enough for them. LaSalette has a market every Friday. They have plenty of parking and obviously see the value in it. Why can't AFM look into moving there on Saturdays? But, the best part is all of the AFM supporters who are mad at the library for taking ownership of the lot when they are trying to do the exact same thing! Both sides need to grow up and realize that they are hurting they city.

HeY fact checker, check your facts, the city donated the Aux cops last year. where is that offer now? Sounds like that would help solve the problem. Your right AFM wants to stay at North Main Street because it works!! Why mess with it? AFM wants to share, thats right share the lot with the library and the Ymca and the businesses located downtown. You're an ass with the poorer section of town crap line. Last time I checked Attleboro wasn't exactly 5th Avenue. Hurting the City!?! Keep spewing that yuppie/ poorer section garbage and you will hurt the City buy dividing it into a class war. Very irresponsible statement. You come off as this expert on everything, but you are just a blow hard. Here is another fact, and by your standards I don't think it needs to be all that accurate, I have not read or heard of or what little I have seen of the Council meetings once seen any offer of a suggestion to resolve this issue from the Library other than to boot the AFM out.

First, I am not a member of the BOD of AFM just a frequenter of the market and the library and an observer. @ Fact Checker. Please check your facts. Yes, a police detail would be $160 per 4 hours. $320 for every minute over 4 hours. If you ever attended the Farmers Market in 2011 you would know that a Police Detail was REQUIRED in September and October. Yes Police were given many free items, although they did not request them. It was a curtsey. @ Fact Checker: Where is there a lot near the fire station? So, Fact Checker, it sounds like you think that the AFM should serve just the poor, not all of the public? Perhaps you are profiling! Prehaps you wish to hide the poor behind City Hall. Disgusting!

A public hearing regarding the rezoning of Route 1A land on Tuesday featured a traffic expert. Let me quote him: "Yes, there is quite a bit of traffic there. That's what entices the retailers." That is exactly what AFM has done: Attract drive-by patrons, walk-ins, bus patrons, bikers, Balfour Riverwalk patrons, yes automobile drivers, folks who benefit from WIC and Senior coupons and library patrons. Do you, Fact Checker, want to hide these recipients in asphalt city, behind city hall? AFM has promoted alternate parking from day one. I don't believe that you have any marketing experience. AFM and its' BOD do. Who wants the City of Attleboro to be a destination location? Please tell all of the city councilors. To the public to voice your opinion: www.cityofattlboro.us then see municipal councilor

The AFM has been very successful in its current location, to its detriment. IF the warring factions could ally themselves to jointly advocate for use of the Balfour Riverwalk Park as the new location of the AFM, both parties, all of the customers and vendors would win. The PARK is meant to be used by the people of Attleboro and surrounding communities,(assuredly there were TAXES used to create this park), it is a COMMONS, to be used for the public good and welfare of all. Many successful Farmers Markets are held in parks, with high traffic counts and plans to keep the park in good condition. If you look at the "L" shaped layout the AFM posted you will see less than 26 parking spaces up for grabs, but a large empty green space that is the Riverwalk Park, it makes no sense. Also why is the Mayor and Parks Dept silent on this issue, apparently unwilling to speak out for what has been an all volunteer, no tax dollars involved community based successful grass roots project?

Just Sayin': thank you for reading instead of letting emotions blur everything. I do not know about the tax situation with the high school and how it would relate to privately owned LaSalette. LaSalette must have some insight to the tax issue as they hosted a farmer's market all season. I was unaware that AFM had a police detail at the end of last year. It would occur to me that if it was deemed necessary at the end of last year and the goal of the AFM is to grow, then it would be needed again this year.

I want the market at city hall, it makes the most sense to me if you follow the original statements of some supporters that the current location promotes access as it is on a bus line. I am glad to see that some supporters have finally given a true opinion (they want the current location because of increased visibility and the favorable tax situation). Had this position been argued originally instead of trying to mask it behind false statements perhaps this debate would be over with.

I honestly believe that the city hall location is best: more vendor parking, more customer parking (in the lot, in the lot between the two buildings, on street, closer to the bus terminal and closer to the residents of the East side who, as Mr. Denlea has pointed out are some of the poorest in Attleboro.) That is not being divisive, that is a statement he made.

The TAX situation is nonsense, it is an only in Attleboro thing. Many FM's are held in or on tax exempt property, but only in Attleboro does the Tax Assessor, a non-citizen employee of the city attempt to tax what is an event held for the common good, why did he not attempt to tax the market when it was for years at the city hall lot? What is his potential gain or angle? Why are there bureaucrats seemingly lined up to shut this down? FYI a well organized diverse farmers market can pretty much survive a move to another spot, it usually is the case when a market out grows its original location and wise govt or private landowners want to make sure the market remains successful, sadly that wisdom seems to be lacking in Attleboro.

The City of Attleboro does not deserve a farmers market as successful as the AFM. If you look at what the market brings to the city for zero cost vs. the APL which costs huge amounts of money, it is a no brainier. Add to this that libraries are going the way of the typewriter and VCR. This will happen very rapidly; probably in the next 5-10 years. Everything that you can get in the library you can get online. There are even web sites where you can get electronic books on loan. Have the library stand on its own or shut it down!

BTW, this is a great example of why Attleboro is a hollow shell of a city. I was in Concord yesterday and it has a thriving downtown. North Attleboro, Foxboro, Falmouth and Mansfield also have bustling down towns. Those are just a few that come to mind. My only thought on this is that the City management must be full filling the goals, wished and desires to turn the city into ghost town. Anything and everything that once made the Attleboro a great place to raise a family is gone. The best thing in the town is the new Thatcher Street Bridge (-:

the lot at the library isn't really big enough esp if the market wants to expand, hopefully with other farmers selling farm produce. Not folks selling manicures and massages. Oooops! Getting off track!
So, move now to the larger and more accessible City Hall area lots. Plenty of room to expand, parking etc. If it's a good farmers market, people will find you and purchase there. Some of you must remember where Haymarket farmers market was in Boston, don't you? It wasn't on the common or the green next to the swan boats...it was off on the fringes of downtown, and kinda crummy old warehouse area! Our city hall area is much nicer than that! So go there Farmers Market, and call it a day.
Oh, but then what will we talk about??!!!

@Lb4Lb. I've heard through the grape vine that AFM has been asked to locate in North Attleboro, Plainville and Wentham. Good Bye Attleboro for the 2012 season!

Mr. Hopkins;

If the area behind city hall was an ideal space other businesses would be filling the empty buildings that surround the area. The problem with that area is no one will see the market. If they don't see it, they won't stop. You could promote it until the cows come home, it would not work. Just because you have a business does not mean it will be successful. It needs the proper visibility, ease of access, traffic flow, parking etc. The city hall lot has none of the above qualities. The AFM did not thrive when it was by the common. Why would it succeed when it has even less visibility.

You have tipped your hand with the remarks about the other vendors at the market. The State of Massachusetts has guidelines for what constitutes a farmers market. The AFM falls within these guidelines. It is not up to you or Factchecker to decided how to run the AFM. Are you and Factchecker on the BOT? Both of you have to have some connection the APL. I think there should be an audit of the APL and the BOT. Something is up if they are this scared of the AFM being in the same parking lot.

Attleboro will probably lose the AFM to a more enlightened city. The lack of vision and leadership in Attleboro is appalling and the main reason why the city has the reputation as being "closed for business". If you want to see the future of the city look to Central Falls or Pawtucket.

@ Steve. How do you know whether a Farmers Market has to be seen or not? Do you run one? Are you in the retail business? I think the organizers have done a fabulous job. And a huge thank you to all of you who have given your time to this wonderful community event. I've read that AFM had an average of 1500 patrons each Saturday for 20 weeks in 2011. That's 30, 000 visits to the downtown area. More than any parade, memorial event, book sale, or Expo for the Senses - probably put together in one year. Folks visit the Farmers Market, Balfour Riverwalk Park, the YMCA and the Library when it was open. And some councilors want to resrtict parking in a municipal lot. Please! Do a Google search of Haymarket and you will see it comes up on page 2. It's been in existence since 1830. Google AFM and it's the first listing. Haymarket is not even on the top 20 of Farmers Markets in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"Safety had been a problem," she said. "This is much more workable." says one APL Trustee. I find this laughable. I'll put money that this person never went to Farmers Market. Check the Police log - no accidents or injuries. BS.

If the Library was smart...they would jump on the band wagon ..and Put a table out there with old books for sale OR have a bake sale and raise some money for the Library...1400 people attend... if you got...$1 donation from 1/2 the people each week and what do ya kno ..YOU have enough to buy a computer and more books ...COME on Library...Get with the program...I will give you the first $20 ......

We at the Killingly Public Library host a sizable market on Saturdays from June through October in our lot. No cops, no problems, we love each other, and we consider it a mutually beneficial arrangement (we are open on Saturdays at the library). Libraries and farmers markets seem to go well together...same patrons. Help each other, will ya?

Three hours and 15 votes sealed the fate of the farmers market. When city leaders wonder why more people are not visiting downtown Attleboro they have only themselves to blame.
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2012/04/04/news/11288119.txt

"Councilors who voted to rein in the expanding and busy market did so mainly over public safety worries. Denlea and Councilors Peter Blais and Sara Lynn Reynolds were the most outspoken on those issues."

I'm speechless, but I do vote.

I also vote. I have no dog in this fight other than to see businesses and foot traffic attracted to our downtown once again. This decision has helped me realize who I will be vocally campaigning AGAINST during the next election. I have the feeling these outspoken councilors have spoken themselves out of an elected position. Great job guys!

what are the expenses that amount to $3850.00?
What is the parking situation around /near the city hall area? are there parking restrictions that could be eased during the hours of the AFM? are there area businesses that could allow AFM patrons to park on their property while at the famers market? If the lot itself is larger than the lot on N Main then why is there not enough parking? Perhaps some people just don't want to walk a half block or so from where they have to park??!!