Farmers Market pavilion contract awarded
A Belle Vernon company was hired to construct a scaled-back pavilion project to shelter the Main Street Farmers Market and other events in Washington.
The Washington County Redevelopment Authority awarded an $849,000 contract to Maccabee Industrial Inc. to begin construction this spring on the Main Street Farmers Market Community Pavilion over city-owned parking lots in the 100 block of South Main Street, the market announced Wednesday.
“It’s going to be open on all four sides. It’s going to be durable,” said Susan Morgan, the redevelopment authority’s project manager for the canopy.
The bids for the double-arch steel structure came in higher than expected last month. The authority rebid the project and deleted a small office building and restrooms from its scope to lower the cost, Morgan said.
The 15,000-square-foot roof structure will be constructed as originally designed, and the restrooms and office will be included in another phase of the project, Morgan said.
Organizers envisioned a permanent structure several years ago for the farmers market and had raised several hundred thousand dollars for the structure through the local share of gambling proceeds from The Meadows Casino, the Washington County Community Foundation’s annual day of giving, a county tourism grant and corporate donations, but it wasn’t enough to undertake the project. Fundraising efforts by Washington & Jefferson College President Tori Haring-Smith and Washington’s mayor and council and a number of corporate contributions made up the shortfall.
Maccabee, under the terms of the contract, must take precautions to avoid disrupting this season’s farmers market or the Whiskey Rebellion Festival July 9-12, Morgan said.
The pavilion is expected to be completed in October, she said.