KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Fresh produce and local products will soon be available year-round in Kalamazoo. The city has plans to build a new event center that will allow the farmers market to operate even during the winter.
"We're going to move towards kind of construction and implementation of the second phase, which is an event building that will house our main after-school program, as well as be a space for the farmers market to actually utilize the space in the wintertime," said Patrick McVerry, director of Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation.
Right now, the market runs from the beginning of May through the end of November. McVerry says the new building will be home to farmers and vendors year-round.
"The space won't be quite as big, but it'll give them the farmers the opportunity to continue to sell produce and goods that they might not have the opportunity to do and kind of keep that year-round income for the local farmers as well," he told FOX 17.
It's a win for locals too. According to McVerry it will give people access to fresh food no matter what season it is.
The new building will sit right next to the current market, and will be close to 9,000 square feet.
"There'll be some garage-door-type walls that will actually able to be opened in the summertime to give them an open-air feel. It'll be a large open space for summer camps, meetings, gatherings, things like that," McVerry said.
Funding for the project comes from a mix of ARPA funding, state and local grants. It's expected to cost just under $6 million, according to McVerry.
The outdoor portion of the market will still remain. Once the city secures a contractor, the hope is to start construction by September and finish by summer of 2025.
READ MORE: New renderings for planned Kalamazoo event center released
