The Kenton County Fiscal court selected Cincinnati-based architecture firm Brandstetter Carroll to design the county’s farmers market pavilion at Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled meeting.
In addition to design responsibilities, Brandstetter Carroll is expected to complete construction drawings and handle the project’s permitting process.
Kenton County will be building a metal outdoor pavilion next to the Old Kenton County Courthouse in downtown Independence. Two public restrooms, vendor storage and a parking lot are going to be included in the project. Construction is expected to cost approximately $750,000.
“This is building a permanent structure at the historic (Kenton County) Courthouse,” Assistant County Administrator Scott Gunning said to Commissioner Jon Draud at the meeting.
The farmers market has been in existence since 2008 with the current iteration located in the parking lot of the Independence Senior Citizens Building. Prior to that, it was at the Kenton County Courthouse in Independence, but moved in 2020 once restorative construction on the historic building commenced. The City of Independence runs the markets day-to-day operations.
Two weeks ago, Kenton County received a $250,000 grant from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, or KADB, for the farmers market. A grant from the Durr Foundation and money from the county will make up the rest of the project’s funding.
“The changing landscape of agriculture is dependent upon communities being able to diversify their agricultural outputs,” Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture and Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Quarles in a press release. “The grants awarded by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board goes a long way in helping make that a realization for the state’s farming future.”
During 2021 and 2022, 11 vendors sold products at the farmers market. Most of the vendors set up tents and other temporary structures in the parking lot during days of operation. Currently, the farmers market is open from May to October.
Kenton County estimates the new facility will allow six to eight more vendors to make use of the pavilion, according to the county’s KADB Project Application. This would increase those vendors sales and overall foot traffic at the farmers market.
County officials want the farmers market to have the capability to be open during inclement weather. Additionally, the pavilion will allow the market to be open longer into the year. At least six to eight There are also plans in the works for a winter farmers market.
