Vendors at the West Side Market say they鈥檙e open to change at the 110-year-old Ohio City destination, though they are waiting for more details on what a switch to nonprofit management will mean for their businesses.
said he intends to form a new, independent entity to run the market鈥檚 day-to-day operations, while retaining city ownership of the historic venue.
鈥淚t鈥檚 got to be better than where we鈥檙e at right now,鈥� said Liz Lance, the owner of Lance鈥檚 Beef. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going nowhere. Hopefully it will help the market. That鈥檚 what we need.鈥�
Lance credited Bibb with turning the city鈥檚 attention to the market, though she said this week鈥檚 announcement took her by surprise. She 鈥� and other vendors 鈥� said the city had fallen behind on maintenance of the century-old structure.
Nonprofit management would free the market and its vendors from the city bureaucracy, where requests for plumbing fixes can take weeks to fulfill, according to Don Whitaker of D.W. Whitaker Meats.
Whitaker, the president of the market鈥檚 tenants鈥� association, has advocated for a nonprofit to take over management.
鈥淲e want to have more of a day-to-day management. It鈥檚 not that they鈥檙e doing a bad job,鈥� he said of the city. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just, it鈥檚 a big machine, and we鈥檇 like not to be part of that machine.鈥�
Understaffing had left the city behind on maintenance at the market, said Beth Bowman, the owner of Vera鈥檚 Bakery. While she had heard that nonprofit management was a possibility, she hadn鈥檛 expected Bibb鈥檚 announcement this week.
鈥淎nything going in the positive, right direction, we鈥檙e kind of okay with,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 guess it鈥檚 kind of a wait-and-see attitude with most things that happen around here, so fingers crossed.鈥�
Bibb raised the subject of new management when he met with vendors shortly after taking office in January, according to Nina Morad, who owns Meister Food.
In the past, city leadership didn鈥檛 meet vendors鈥� needs, from the building itself to marketing, Morad said. Still, she said she is withholding judgement on Bibb鈥檚 nonprofit model.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if it would be better,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 waiting to hear, to see what鈥檚 going to happen. Like them to lay it all out, tell us what鈥檚 going on. I鈥檓 not making any judgements before I know things.鈥�
It will take time to conduct a master plan and establish a new nonprofit entity. Cleveland City Council has not yet taken up any legislation approving a switch to new management.
Council President Blaine Griffin told 精东影业 that he is 鈥渃autiously optimistic鈥� about Bibb鈥檚 proposal.
鈥淚 do believe that we should have a structure in place in order to better run and better manage the West Side Market, but the devil鈥檚 in the details,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淚 want to make sure that we鈥檙e just not divesting our city assets.鈥�
The council president said he wanted to ensure that the city maintains site control and decision-making powers at the market. But the idea of an independent manager 鈥� which Ward 3 Councilman Kerry McCormack has also advocated 鈥� has 鈥渁 lot of validity,鈥� Griffin said.
鈥淥ne of the things that we need with the West Side Market is somebody to just, full time, all day, every day, think about nothing but the West Side Market,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut then they鈥檙e also going to have to raise some significant resources outside of the city, and they鈥檙e going to need to be very nimble to do that.鈥�
