Pavilion for Wheaton French market, other events taking shape downtown
The Wheaton French Market springs to life every Saturday morning from April to November with some manual labor.
Over the years, vendors set up their booths beneath pop-up canopies or tents, a swirl of activity before their customers would arrive to shop for bundles of flowers, Parisian pastries, produce, cheeses and all kinds of specialty foods.
A permanent canopy structure now being built in a municipal parking lot will cut down the time it takes to assemble and tear down the weekly market. The $1.1 million pavilion also will accommodate other downtown events.
And at 28 feet high at its tallest point, the structure will create another distinctive focal point for community gatherings, one of the last showpieces in a $35 million streetscape and infrastructure project that's winding down after four-and-a-half years of construction throughout the business district.
"We're really, really pleased and excited that we can see the completion down here in a few months," Assistant City Manager John Duguay said Thursday.
Using a crane, crews have installed steel beams for the canopy structure that will house the French market and other activities in the parking lot at Main Street and Liberty Drive.
"They made some really good progress this week," Duguay said.
The structure will be open on the sides to allow for parking when it's not in use, and it also will be powered by solar panels.
Excavation work lowered the lot itself by three feet. So if desired, a segment of Liberty Drive could be closed, patrons could spill out beyond the pavilion and onto the street, and the footprint of the French market or downtown celebrations could be expanded.
The market operator, Bensidoun USA, is paying a $20,000 annual fee to the city under a five-year agreement that includes an option to extend it for an additional five years if market occupancy numbers are achieved. Bensidoun also will adjust the market's operating hours to give the city more flexibility for hosting other weekend events in parking lot No. 3.
The city is funding the construction of the canopy structure with those fees and tax increment financing dollars. In a TIF district, as redevelopment boosts property values, the extra tax revenue that otherwise would go to taxing bodies such as schools and parks can be used to pay for improvements within its boundaries.
Two-thirds of the streetscape project downtown was paid with TIF funds, Duguay said. The project's final phase has focused on areas south of the downtown railroad tracks along Liberty Drive.
An official start date is not yet set for the French market, but the city anticipates it will be in mid-April. The market will open at an alternative site to allow crews to complete weather-dependent work and the finishing touches to the canopy area.
The market is expected to use the temporary location for the first two or three weeks of the season before returning to its venue in the heart of downtown.