Proposals come in for Farmers Market

"New owners of Bayview property glean three new proposals for future Farmers Market at the site, while current market managers South Whidbey Tilth submits revised market management agreement."

“As of Monday, the Farmers Market at Bayview saw its possibilities for the future multiply fourfold.Monday was the deadline set by new market property owner Orach, Inc., for the submission of ideas from groups interested in operating a farmers market. The proposals are part of a process that may send Tilth packing and bring in a whole new organization to run a farmers market at Bayview.Submitting proposals for a new market with new management were current market manager Debbie Torget, the Bayview Community Hall, and an organization with an unusual name: “A Group of 10 Vendors Not All of Whom Agree with Each Other All of the Time.” Joyce LeGow, a member of the group of 10, said their proposal combines the fun of the current market with the good business sense demanded by its success in recent years.“This is no longer this pokey little market,” LeGow said. “This is a big deal.”Orach, a non-profit corporation owned by Langley’s Nancy Nordhoff, started a request for proposals (RFP) process early in September after waiting several months to sign a market management agreement with Tilth. Tilth did submit its final version of the agreement to Orach in place of an actual proposal, but at this point it is unlikely that the agreement will be signed by both parties and implemented.Market proposals were to include a number of components, including a vision statements, days and hours of operation, vendor criteria, and a fee structure for the 2000 season.Orach has given no exact date as to when it might choose a proposal as a winner, stating in its RFP document that it will choose one “as soon as practicable after review of the submissions.””