1 MINUTES from PUBLIC MARKET COMMISSION MEETING Monday
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MINUTES FROM PUBLIC MARKET COMMISSION MEETING Monday, September 26, 2011 6:00pm State House, Gardner Auditorium, Boston, MA Commission Members in Attendance: Scott Soares, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Chair; Nancy Brennan, Executive Director of the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy; State Representative Gailanne Cariddi; Nancy Caruso, resident of Boston, recommended by Mayor Thomas M. Menino; Carole Cornelison, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Capital Asset Management, designee of Secretary Jay Gonzalez, Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Environmental Affairs; Mary Griffin, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, designee of Secretary Richard K. Sullivan, Jr., Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Lauren Shurtleff, Planner, designee of the Executive Director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority; and Bill Tuttle, Deputy Director for Real Estate and Asset Development, designee of Secretary Richard A. Davey, Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Commission members absent from the meeting: Senator Anthony Petrucelli. At 6:05pm, Chairman Soares called the meeting to order. a. Introductions, approval of minutes, update Mr. Soares introduced himself, the public market project and gave an update from previous Commission meetings. Ms. Griffin updated the audience on the fish and seafood subcommittee meeting and Ms. Cornelison updated the crowd on the specialty food meeting. On a motion duly made and seconded, it was: VOTED that the minutes from the four previous meetings be approved. The vote was unanimous. b. Mr. Peter O’Connor of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation gave a summary of the work conducted by the Parcel 7/9 Advisory Committee. The presentation is viewable on the website www.mass.gov/publicmarket. c. Community input 1 Mr. Soares asked the first question for consideration about how the public market could complement the Haymarket. Mr. Victor Brogna of the North End indicated that he hoped the market would not compete with the specialty food shops in the North End. Ms. Jeanette Hermann of Boston said that she supported both the Haymarket and the proposed public market. She indicated that people understood that they were two distinctly different markets and should remain that way. Mr. Emilio Favorito of EGS Strategies asked who would make a decision about public market vendors buying from Chelsea and when that decision would be made. Mr. Soares indicated that the Commission is considering discussing the question in the RFP. Mr. Chris Carbony of the Haymarket Pushcart Association said that it is not just about buying from the Chelsea Produce Market, but also about not trying to sell the same product as the HPA does, no matter where that product is purchased. Mr. Tuttle asked if the HPA is concerned about price point or the origin point of the product for sale. Mr. Carbony said that his understanding is that the public market would be a native market and said, if there are bananas for sale there, what is the difference between it and Whole Foods? Mr. N. Coleman of Boston said that as a consumer, he wants choice. He asked if the HPA would remain static and not sell the things available in the public market, and pointed out that if everything is restricted and regulated, why would anyone go to the public market? Mr. Gus Serra of EGS Strategies said that the HPA is not spooked by competition. He discussed the history of pushcarts and said that Boston is the last stop for product coming from around the country. He also described the purchasing situation for vendors who buy from the New England Produce Center in Chelsea. He discussed parking in the Parcel 7 garage as well. Ms. Patti Fleszar of Sacred Cod Fish said that Whole Foods was coming to the area like it or not, and competition was coming with it. She suggested that a pyramid structure be put in place for the public market, with the base being locally produced goods, on up to the point, with steps for regional, national and, finally, international as the point of the pyramid. Additional discussion of parking rules at the garage continued, with assurances from MassDOT personnel that a comprehensive overview would be furnished to the Commission soon. Ms. Pamela (last name inaudible) said she had moved from Cleveland, the home of a great public market. She was frustrated by the conversation so far because it was supposed to be 2 about the farmers. She urged the commission to give the consumer credit for being intelligent, and said that the Commission should ensure that it is a true public market that they are building in Boston. Mr. Soares discussed the Project for Public Spaces report for the group. A guest commented that as a consumer, she wanted everything to be available at the market. Ms. Meghan Hubbs commented that it is important to think about the whole experience at the market, including education and information, which are critical, whether the product is from Italy or down the street. Mr. Bing Broderick indicated that he hoped the market would support micro‐lending initiatives in the area. Ms. Hubbs said it was important for vendors and consumers to engage directly at the market. Ms. Brennan asked the group to help define local. Ms. Maureen Farrell commented that local means made here. Mr. Russ Cohen said he is a farmers market aficionado and he seeks out markets to soak up local culture. Local products should dominate, but some other things are ok. The market should celebrate the region without micromanaging. Also, he said that it would be OK if the market were slightly seamy, as it adds character to the experience. A guest from the Boston Public Market Association commented that she had been involved with food markets from Whole Foods to the Haymarket and said that local needs lots of discussion. It is not a black and white issue. She said the market should work with entrepreneurs young and old in Boston and work collaboratively to make the market happen. Ms. Sally Dolezal, a nutritionist, compared the food environments in Boston and Chicago, saying Boston was superior. She said it would be great to certify the nutritional information at the market, in some way similar to the ANDI score used at Whole Foods. She pointed out the importance of the health nut consumer. Mr. Eric Fleszar from the Sacred Cod said that North End businesses had been there when he was born and they’ll be there when he’s gone. He said that the HPA has a niche. The public market should have a niche, too. Mr. Souren Elyemezian of Fastachi said that local vendors pay taxes, too. They hire locally. Ms. Sarah Lydon of Boston compared the public market to the experience at the old Filene’s Basement. 3 Ms. Hermann said she feeds her family from a variety of sources. Local versus non‐local should be clearly defined. If she wants conventional, she goes to conventional places. The market can be a central place for local products. She reminded the group that Massachusetts carrots taste far better than California carrots. A guest commented that vendors should be able to figure out the right mix. Ms. Fleszar said it would be difficult to cultivate customer loyalty if one cannot guarantee that the product they want will be there, speaking about different fish. Ms. Betsey Johnson of the Massachusetts Food Policy Alliance said she wanted to create educational materials and said she participates in a community supported fisheries program, where she gets 100% local fish delivered periodically. She said that with CSF you don’t need other species of fish because it is so fresh and delicious when local. There are year round farm stands that have already figured out the right mix. She encouraged the group to start with local meaning from Massachusetts, then maybe a little broader. She said that type of thinking and a vibrant educational program can make the public market unique and different in a good way. Ms. Griffin showed a chart of when fish are in season in Massachusetts waters. She also asked if local should be defined by product category (produce, fish, specialty foods). She also asked about the size constraints of local businesses. What if a business is based here with several hundred or thousands of employees? Ms. Hermann said she would love to buy the local fish, but there is not anywhere to do it right now. Ms. Liz Ventura of the North End Fish Market asked if local vendors would get preferential treatment to get in to the market to sell. Mr. Soares said that the Commission is considering that question as part of its work. Should there be a ranking schematic? Mr. Coleman said there are two approaches: ask vendors to describe how to locally source products once the market is open, or ask the landlord/operator to describe how to do it in their reply to the RFP. There was some discussion of making parcel 7 all local and parcel 9 all non‐local products. Mr. Broderick asked if the Massachusetts Farmers Market Association had been consulted. Mr. Serra expressed some concern about how the Commonwealth would be choosing who would control and/or raise money for the market. He expressed concerns about the input of the public about the expenditure of public funds. 4 Mr. Soares asked the group to discuss the right mix of fresh and prepared foods. Ms. Hermann said it had to be fresh food. If it turns into a food court, she would not go. Ms. Dolezal said that the Commission would be naïve not to include prepared foods. A guest pointed out that it is difficult to put a number on the right mix because of seasonality.