The open-air market that’s been on the first block of Church Street in New Paltz for the past several years is going to be moved again — provided the property owner of the new location agrees — on account of the ongoing pandemic. Trustees, along with manager Alanna Henneberry, discussed the problems and several alternative solutions at the January 27 village board meeting before arriving at the conclusion that for the coming season, it would be better to have it on Main Street near the post office. It’s the same location where picnic tables were hastily erected as an outdoor dining area last year.
Coronavirus control measures limited the number of vendors that could participate in the market last year, and some residents of the street voiced concern about being able to safely enter and exit their homes if the market were to be in operation during the pandemic. Henneberry modified the 2020 plan based on that feedback, and did not receive any additional feedback once the market was opened for the season.
Extending the closed section of roadway along more of Church Street, or to include Academy Street, were among the options that were considered and discarded because of the additional impacts. The post office parking area is land leased for that purpose and Mayor Tim Rogers said that the owner had seemed somewhat reluctant to give up some of the potential revenue for last year’s picnic area. The same owner rejected a more extensive plan to reconfigure parking and use some of that land as a village square, but trustees speculated that a proposal lacking any permanent changes might be an easier sell.
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