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By Myrna Trauntvein
TN Correspondent

In work session, Nephi City Council discussed information they had obtained from UDOT (Utah Department of Transportation} about having food trucks on Main Street in Nephi as a not permitted activity.

Lisa Brough, city recorder/finance director, said that a fee of $35 per Saturday had been suggested.

Jacque Thorn, Nephi Farmers Market, said that the market is no longer under the umbrella of the Greater Nephi Chamber of Commerce but is being run by herself and her husband along with committee members.

She said that paying the $35 charged for each Saturday was acceptable. Her husband, who was participating by telephone, said that he also agreed.

Thorn said they would like to operate from late May to mid-October on 16 Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“I am glad to see the fee at that price,” said Justin Seely, mayor. “The Farmer’s Market is promoting health, a sense of community, promoting a good lifestyle and is something we should embrace and hold on to.”

Lisa Brough, city recorder/finance director, asked if the council was willing to consider other for-profit groups using public property to make money. If they were, they needed to know that there would be others coming forward.

The Nephi Farmers Market plans to continue the service they provide this coming summer and earlier met with the Nephi City Council to request that they be allowed to use the street side of the city park once again this year.

“Jacob (her husband) and I are transitioning the market to an LLC,” said Thorn. “We are grateful for the chamber’s guidance in establishing the market. Committee members, including Linda Steele, and Terry Cook, will provide ongoing support.”

There was the area across Main Street that might be used for food trucks.

Thorn said she would be worried about patrons crossing the busy street and the possibility of one or more of them being injured.

There were five local vendors and she had hesitated to talk to them because there had been no clear cut decision on whether or not they should be allowed.

The plan was to contact and use the local food truck vendors. She had mentioned the possibility to a couple of the food truck owners and found that they had some commitments that would allow them to participate at the Farmer’s Market only on some of the days.

“Perhaps you could talk to Doug Peterson, who owns the dental practice to the south of the park,” said Skip Worwood, council member. “Maybe the food trucks could park in his parking lot and sell from there.”

The dental office was closed on Saturdays.

Travis Worwood, council member, said that there might be a possibility of parking on the lawn at the city park.

Justin Seely, mayor, said the one concern there was the weight of the food trucks on the grass, if it was wet, they might compress the soil and lead to problems.

Brough said, that in anticipation of the discussion, she had talked with the parks superintendent. He was not opposed to them parking on the lawn but wanted to know more before making a final decision.

As for moving the food trucks to the south side of the park along the street there may be a problem with that, said Brough. There were two bowers and they were both rented on Saturdays throughout the summer. She presented the reservations that had been made. Some started as early as 8 a.m. and went until 11 p.m.

“It is booked all summer,” said Brough. “It is a park for the public.”

As for the swimming pool side, on the north, though the pool didn’t open for public swimming until 1 p.m. there were swimming lessons and the parking on that side of the park went fast.

Thorn said they would close at 1 p.m. and only had one vendor that took some time to move. However, that area would still be on the west side of the park. That would be the main farmer’s market.

Seely said that Thorn had been able to tell him, as the mayor, no when he had asked if they could add a vendor for mangoes and oranges.

“She has standards and sticks to them,” said Seely.

Thorn said that they are part of the Utah Farmers Market Network, and they had rules about the mileage that a vendor could be away from the farmer’s market. The plan is for those who participate to be local.

They plan to continue expanding vendor opportunities and with the strong interest from new vendors they will be ensured of greater variety and quality.

“During the Ute Stampede we will move our location to the Old Mill Park,” said Thorn.

Travis Worwood, council member, said that in Springville the food trucks lined the sides of the street in the summer. He wondered what the difference was between Nephi and Springville as far as UDOT was concerned.

Seely said he wondered the same thing because Spanish Fork allowed food trucks along its city streets. He said he was fairly certain that their Main Street was also a UDOT highway.

He said they had asked Kyle Marchant, Nephi City Public Works Director, to ask questions about the reason for rejecting the city request for food trucks on Main in a meeting Marchant had with UDOT on Thursday.

A perfect solution might be to move the Farmer’s Market to the Ute Stampede Craft Show area between the Town Square Park and the City and County Buildings. It might be an ideal location, said Seely.

“I know that is not your ideal place,” he said.

That was because they had a tradition of being at the park, said Thorn.

Leslee Anderson, deputy city recorder, said that should not be a problem. When the word got out that the new location was behind the city ambulance shed and county building, the people would come.

As people drive by, they will note the Farmer’s Market and will stop, said Brough.

“It would solve all of your problems,” she said.