Market at the Square Advisory Committee Meeting

NOTICE OF MEETING ________________________________________________________________________ URBANA’S MARKET AT THE SQUARE ADVISORY BOARD DATE: THURSDAY, April 28, 2016 TIME: 4:00 P.M. PLACE: URBANA CITY BUILDING CITY OF URBANA COUNCIL CHAMBERS 400 SOUTH VINE STREET URBANA, IL 61801 AGENDA 1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM 2. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING 4. PUBLIC INPUT 5. COMMUNICATION a. Staff Report 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Market at the Square Strategic Plan Update (cont’d) 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS a. May 7, 2016 First day of the 2016 market season. b. November 5, 2016 Last day of the 2016 market season. 8. ADJOURNMENT The next regularly scheduled meeting: Thursday, July 28, 2016 from 4-5 p.m. in the City of Urbana Council Chambers.  DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Administrative Division Urbana’s Market at the Square Staff Report April 28, 2016 Prepared by Natalie Kenny Marquez, Director, Market at the Square Introduction The following Market at the Square Staff Report describes activities of Urbana’s Market at the Square. The report includes information regarding projects which are in progress, recent requests and recommendations from the public, staff activities, and upcoming events. • In the News o Urbana’s Market at the Square was noted as #1 on the list of top 10 farmers markets to visit in Illinois in a recent posting by the Only in Your State network: http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/illinois/farmers-markets-il/. • SNAP/EBT and WIC Update o The Market applied for a $5,000 from LinkUP Illinois to provide administrative and promotional support for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at our farmers market. This is different from the LINK Up double value grant we received in 2015. This grant will specifically go towards helping to cover administrative costs associated with the program and to help pay for expenses related to promoting the program. The grant will be disbursed over a two year (season) timeframe. o Staff is exploring opportunities for new ways to expand our SNAP and WIC programs at the farmers markets. • Illinois Farmers Market Association o Market Staff are planning to host a workshop for farmers market vendors and managers in November 2016. See attached flyer for details. • Promotional Events o Market Staff attended the Governor’s Conference on Travel and Tourism to promote the Illinois Farmers Market Association and Urbana’s Market at the Square. Staff provided information about Urbana’s Market at the Square, handed out information about local food, and networked with tourism professionals from across the State of Illinois. The Wright Soapery and Autumn Berry Inspired, both Market at the Square vendors, provided 400 samples of their products in the conference tote bags distributed to all conference attendees. This was an initiative to promote the new MADE IN ILLINOIS campaign that the State of Illinois tourism office is launching later this spring.  o Market at the Square staff attended two recent events to promote the start of the farmers market. The first was the Working Women’s Expo on April 21st and the second was the University of Illinois Community Credit Union Shred-a-Palooza on April 23rd. • Programming o Read at the Market, Bike to Market, Art and Performance at the Market, and Sprouts at the Market will continue in 2016. In addition, chef demonstrations will be added to the free all-ages programming available at the farmers markets. These demonstrations will feature local chefs preparing dishes sourcing ingredients found at the farmers market. More details will come as this program is developed over the next few months. o Farm Fresh & Fast will continue in 2016 with 27 new recipes. Each recipe is easy to prepare, features seasonal ingredients, and comes in at just a few dollars per serving. Each recipe will be cooked by the Market Director and Maria Ludeke of Creative Health on WCIA News Channel 3’s afternoon lifestyle program, ciLiving. More details on this program will be available once the season begins. • Market Staffing o Sterling Bollman has been promoted from Market Aid to Market Assistant. In addition to working many Saturdays at the farmers market Sterling’s new role will also include assisting the Market Director with SNAP/EBT reconciliation, marketing and promotions, and grant management. o Two Market Aids and Two Market Laborers were hired to take the place of four Market staff that have either changed roles or have relocated or graduated. Please say hello to the new staff when you see them on Saturdays. Staff will be wearing a blue colored STAFF t-shirt this season. • Budgeting o Market staff submitted a draft Fiscal Year 2016-2017 budget to the City’s Finance Department. The Fiscal Year 2016-2017 will begin on July 1, 2016 and run through June 30, 2017. A copy of the final budget will be available once approved by the City Council later this spring. Information pertaining to the current fiscal year budget may be found at https://data.urbanaillinois.us/.  DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Economic Development Division memorandum TO: Urbana’s Market at the Square Advisory Board FROM: Natalie Kenny Marquez, Director, Market at the Square DATE: April 28, 2016 SUBJECT: 2016 Market at the Square Strategic Plan Update - Continued Background The Community Development Services Department began a strategic planning process for the Market in 2010. This effort was in response to the Urbana City Council’s goals to incorporate the Market as part of the City’s environmental sustainability and economic development goals and in response to community interest in the future of the Market. A Steering Committee of stakeholders was recruited to help guide the planning process. As part of the effort of the data gathering stage, the City conducted extensive outreach, including several public meetings, a survey, and an open house. The Steering Committee studied the history of the Market as well as recent trends and issues. From this information, a mission statement for the Market was developed and a set of goals and implementation strategies were formulated. The Market at the Square Strategic Plan was approved in late 2011 and many of its recommendations have been implemented. The Strategic Plan also started the Market at the Square Advisory Board. Update Now at the five-year mark, it is an opportune time to undertake a review and update of the goals and implementation strategies as outlined in the 2011 Market at the Square Strategic Plan. A survey was implemented the first full week of January 2016 in order to gain feedback on the Market’s current strategic goals and to determine if they are still relevant and whether there are new goals that should be pursued. The survey was directed to past and present Market at the Square vendors, community groups, and patrons. The survey closed on January 28, 2016 and over 300 surveys were received. The survey results were shared with the Market at the Square Advisory Board and discussed at the February 18, 2016 special meeting. At the March 17, 2016 Special Meeting, the Market at the Square Advisory Board was joined a facilitator, Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant of New Leaf Consulting, to review the current Market at the Square mission statement and goals. The Market at the Square Advisory Board members affirmed the Market at the Square mission at this meeting, and proceeded to refine the 10 goals from the 2011 Strategic Plan into seven, new draft priorities which are noted on the attached document. At the March 17, 2016 Special Meeting, staff asked that the Market at the Square Advisory Board members review the seven new draft priorities in order to discuss and affirm them at the April 28, 2016 meeting. Additionally, staff recommended that the Market at the Square Advisory Board begin to draft a series of initiatives or action steps as the means to work towards achieving the seven priorities. As a starting point in this process, the attached document outlines the seven draft priorities and provides an example initiative for each priority. Recommendation Staff recommends that the Market at the Square Advisory Board review the suggested Priorities and identify implementation initiatives for discussion at the April 28, 2016 meeting. Staff also recommends the following timeline to complete the Strategic Plan Update:  April 2016: Affirm strategic priorities, discuss initiatives for each priority  July 2016: Affirm initiatives  October 2016: Affirm Market at the Square Strategic Plan 2016 Update  Urbana’s Market at the Square Strategic Plan Update 2016 Mission (affirmed by Advisory Board at March 17th meeting): Urbana’s farmers market is a vibrant market that connects the community with local food growers and producers, strengthens our local food economy, provides access to local artisans, and serves as a community gathering place. Draft Strategic Priorities (drafted at March 17th meeting): 1. Ensure that the provision of a variety of fresh, healthy, local, high quality foods remain the cornerstone of the Market. 2. Enhance the quality of life in Urbana and the surrounding community by providing community activities which foster social gathering and interaction. 3. Promote the Market as an educational forum for consumers to learn the uses and benefits of quality, locally grown or prepared foods. 4. Enhance the Market’s role in the local food system and the local economy. 5. Consider future growth of the Market and ensure that it remains consistent with the Market’s mission and remains as a financially, self-sufficient program of the City of Urbana. 6. Encourage a dynamic, high quality growers Market 7. Promote the inclusion of stakeholders in the decision-making process for the Market