Waaaaay back in the spring of 2006, the council's Economic Development & Housing Committee was told: The food kiosk sitting in the middle of the downtown Farmers Market is "a visual barrier" and needs to come down. See that photo? That's from this briefing, prepped in advance of the 2006 bond election wherein voters approved $6 million in improvements -- a giant hunk of which, as Brett Shipp noted recently, haven't happened yet.
But whilst browsing the city's awful-to-navigate bids website moments ago, I espied this notice posted just today:
KIOSK DEMOLITION - DALLAS FARMERS MARKET Public Works Department, 320 E Jefferson Blvd., Room # 321, Dallas, TX 75203. A pre-bid conference will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at Dallas Farmer's Market Administration Conference Room, 1010 S Pearl Expressway, Dallas, Texas 75201. It is recommended that all prospective bidders attend. The work includes building demolition, below and above grade, of Food Kiosk including termination of utilities and landscaping as occasioned by the work, as required.I called around to see why come. Mark Thorpe at Campos Engineering, listed as the contact for the project, said I needed to ask someone else who isn't in today. The folks in Public Works to whom I need to speak aren't around. Other messages have been left; further missives have been sent to see why this, why now. (Does, perhaps, it have something to do with resuscitated efforts to privatize the market?) Updates forthcoming. Though, may I say: The tortas served out of that little building? Highly recommended.
