When the Joshua Tree Certified Farmers’ Market opens for business this coming Saturday, shoppers accustomed to browsing among the nearly three dozen regular vendors will find just 12 produce stands. Gone will be arts and crafts vendors, purveyors of prepared foods, and others that have become a part of the street scene in the market’s 12-year history. Farmers’ market founder and owner Lori Herbel says she is devastated by an unexpected turn of events that began last Monday when she received a notice from county code enforcement. Managing editor Tami Roleff is here with more on the threatened market and community-wide efforts to save it…
Citing a “serious complaint” involving traffic and parking issues, the notice mandates the market be reduced by two-thirds effective Saturday, October 12. Herbel’s requests for additional time in order to revise permits or mitigate any issues have been denied by County Planning, which advised the complaint would be enforced anywhere in Joshua Tree until a traffic study and an agreement with law enforcement to direct traffic during the market hours can be secured. Meanwhile, Farmers’ Market vendor and owner of Joshua Tree Coffee Company, Royce Robertson, took matters into his own hands and started an online petition in protest of the county notice. In little more than 24 hours, more than 2,000 signers had lent their support at Change.org.
https://tinyurl.com/JT-farmers-mkt
From Farmers’ Market owner Lori Herbel:
In the past, we received permission from the property owner at the west end of the Market to use this property to expand the Market to its present size.
It is our opinion that the traffic problems that the downtown area experiences are due to the increase of visitors to the Joshua Tree National Park, not to the presence of the Farmers’ Market. In 2009, approximately 1.3 million people visited the park. In, 2018 it was reported that almost 3 million people visited the park.
We have investigated a Market revision to include our present configuration, and/or moving to a different location in Joshua Tree. However, We are devastated and feel the heartbreak of this development. This will affect the income and opportunities of most of our vendors. This is also a great loss to our community at large and will affect our faithful customer base that has brought the Market the success it has experienced over the past twelve years.
We are diligently working to secure a venue in Yucca Valley that will provide an alternative location for our wonderful valuable vendors.
Sincerely,
Lori Herbel
Founder/Owner
Joshua
Tree Certified Farmers’ Market
(760)
420-7529
[email protected]
JoshuaTreeFarmersMarket.com
Harry
Bowkley
Business Manager
Joshua Tree Certified Farmers’
Market
(760) 413-4576
[email protected]
The petition on Change.org:
https://tinyurl.com/JT-farmers-mkt
As of September 30, San Bernardino County Code Enforcement issued a notice to Lori Herbel, the market founder that no more than 12 booths would be allowed, meaning that going forward only produce will be available.
Lori has spent a week petitioning the county to continue to allow the 35 current vendors to be able to attend while revisions are made to the permit allowing the additional space. An anonymous source has indicated that a local lodged the “serious complaint” alleging that the farmers market causes “parking and traffic” issues after approaching Lori expressing intent to have booths near the farmers market and not wanting the farmers market in the way of their booths or their need for parking. The county has said that a traffic study would need to be conducted and that the market would need to have a police officer direct traffic.
Our farmers market should not be the target of additional scrutiny, fees, or burden, or impeded in any way because millions of people want to enjoy the wonders of our park or because a local business decides to file a complaint alleging that farmers market is causing issues in Joshua Tree. The farmers market provides essentials to our community and supports countless families that depend on it for their livelihoods.
To whomever filed the complaint, please take responsibility and prove to the community that you have the community’s best interest at heart and not just your own. Retract your complaint and help us to petition to allow the farmer’s market to continue to function as it has for 12 years in the best interest of the community and the families of 35 vendors that depend on it for their livelihoods.
Lori Herbel has pleaded for time to take necessary actions including revising permits and the pleas have fallen on deaf ears. We the residents of Joshua Tree should have our voices heard in petitioning for the market to remain open and fully functioning as it has for 12 years.
San Bernardino County, please allow our farmers market to continue operating as it has successfully and without issue for the last 12 years. If revisions to the current permits need to be made, allow time to make those revisions without crippling our beloved community resource and leaving countless families with no means of supporting themselves, robbing the community of a desperately needed source of jobs and resources.
