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Tag: Fairfield County Farmers and Artisans Market

  • Rec Center, Market funding sent forward to council

    WINNSBORO – The County Administration and Finance Committee recommended to council the allocation of $130,000 Monday evening for two capital building projects intended to contribute to the overall health of Fairfield County residents – a fitness center and the Farmer’s Market building.

    The the recommended funds come from the existing $500,000 capital building projects budget.

    “We’re using $30,000 of that money to renovate part of the old Everett School building [located in Drawdy Park behind the county administration building] for use as a recreation center facility,” County Administrator Jason Taylor said. “About a third of the $30,000 will be spent on the fitness area, a third on the office area and a third on storage.”

    “The remaining $100,000 will be used toward the farmer’s market building, to take it from just a farmer’s market to an event facility that will bring in revenue,” Taylor explained. About $20,000 will be used to finish out the restrooms, $10,000 to bring a water line to the building, $30,000 for sprinklers and $40,000 for kitchen equipment.

    The county is receiving additional funding from grants from Parks and Recreation Development (PARD) , Dominion Energy and from a Healthy People Healthy Carolinas (HPHC) grant awarded through a 3-year, $450,000 Duke Endowment grant that was awarded in 2016 to Fairfield Forward (previously Fairfield Community Coordinating Council), a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is dedicated to identifying and addressing the health needs of Fairfield County residents.

    “This grant money is to be spent for evidence-based interventions,” the county’s Community Development Director Chris Clausen told the committee, “on ways to make people healthier, giving them better opportunities to eat better or to have a more active lifestyle. So these two projects, in particular, were of interest to Fairfield Forward. They were already looking to do something for the farmers’ market. However, given the other constraints that we currently have, we have to complete the building, essentially, prior to July 1,” Clausen said. “With this funding Fairfield Forward is trying to spend, the Drawdy Park project also came up so they wanted to help with that as well.”

    Since the first cycle of the $450,000 ($150,000/year for three years) from the Duke Endowment is almost over and the remaining funds need to be spent prior to July 1, the Fairfield Forward board voted to spend $75,000 on the fitness area equipment and $10,000 for temporary market manager positions at the farmer’s market to assist with processing SNAP payments.

    “The board wanted to expend some funding on the purchase of kitchen equipment at the farmers’ market,” Taylor said, “but given the timelines with the grant, they opted to revisit this in the next funding cycle.

    A $60,000 PARD grant will go toward a new HVAC system for the fitness area and office space. With the $75,000 being donated by Fairfield Forward and $60,000 from PARD, the fitness center project comes in at $165,000.

    The request for the $130 funding from the county’s existing capital building project funds will next go before full council for consideration.

  • ‘New’ Farmers Market building opens grandly

    Fairfield Farmers and Artisan’s Market during the Christmas season.

    WINNSBORO – A grand opening and ribbon cutting will be held Saturday for the new jewel in downtown Winnsboro – the recently renovated former county stable located on East Washington behind the Town Clock.

    Under County Administrator Jason Taylor’s guidance, county workers have turned the former stable into a show barn that will house the Fairfield Farmers and Artisan’s Market and eventually serve as an event venue for weddings, receptions, reunions and other social events.

    A celebration of the facility, organized by the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, will begin with a ribbon cutting at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m.

    During that time, about 30 food vendors including Doko Smoke and Winnsboro’s The Donut Guy will offer a full array of foods. Singer Sophia Lynch will entertain and, beginning at 9:30 a.m., there will be prize drawings every half hour to include gift cards to local restaurants and merchants.

    Local farmers will be selling fresh produce, eggs, meats and other foods. Other vendors will offer artwork and crafts, free massage demonstrations, an entertaining parrot who will pose for photos with event visitors and a kids’ drawing contest that will be judged with prizes for the winners. A magician and a balloon creations booth will also be performing throughout the day.

    Fairfield County Museum Director Pelham Lyles has displayed a number of colorful handmade quilts on the market building’s walls.

    “It’s just beautiful inside, and I think everyone is going to be surprised at what they see,” Fairfield County Chamber Director Gene Stephenson said during a presentation at the County Council meeting Monday night. “We have Mr. Taylor and Ms. Terry Vickers [former Chamber Director] to thank for this becoming a reality,” Stephenson said.

    Taylor, in turned passed along his appreciation to the county employees who did the renovation work.

    “We did all this work in-house for the most part,” Taylor said. “We hired very little outside labor, maybe plumbers and a few others.”

    Taylor said the cost was covered by $35,000 from the Chamber and about $35,000 in matching funds from the County.

    The facility includes a DHEC-approved teaching kitchen which can be used by the farmers market for teaching food preservation and similar classes. Work is still to be done on the exterior and the parking lot. That work is expected to be completed this summer, according to Taylor.

    “We’re going to have a lot going on at the market on Saturday. It’s going to be a big day,” Stephenson said. “We’ll have local as well as visiting state and national dignitaries visiting our town for the event, and I just hope everyone will take this opportunity to come out and enjoy it all. You’re going to be surprised,” Stephenson promised.