The Wrightsville Beach Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee discussed designating two parking spaces on Old Causeway Drive, near the Causeway Drive Mini-Park at the foot of Old Causeway near the Intracoastal Waterway bridge, as 15-minute loading and unloading spaces for kayakers and stand up paddleboarders.
“It’s not really an official launch, but they could just put it in the water without going down the ramp,” said committee member Susan Collins.
The proposal must be approved by the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen.
Katie Ryan, Parks and Recreation program supervisor, updated the committee on the 2015 farmers market. This year’s food vendors are selling, meat, eggs, fresh produce and baked desserts.
“It would be nice to have bread,” Ryan said.
The committee also discussed changing the market’s rules to allow vendors to sell coffee, soft drinks and co-packaged products.
“I do have a vendor who would be willing to sell coffee. She actually does roast her own coffee beans, so she’s going to be packaging and selling those. She would sell it for immediate consumption. . . . It would definitely be something I’d have to change in the rules,” Ryan said.
Some members argued coffee sales should not be allowed, since the beans cannot be grown in North Carolina. Others said coffee is a local product if the beans are roasted in North Carolina.
“That’s supporting a local business, even though we don’t have the opportunity to grow beans,” said committee member Sandy May.
The coffee sales proposal was approved by five members.
“Now, it has to be approved by the board,” Ryan said.
Ryan also suggested allowing vendors to sell co-packaged products, such as jams and jellies.
“We weren’t allowing anybody to sell anything that had gone through the co-packing process,” Ryan said. “A whole bunch of places are shipping their strawberries. You don’t know where they’re coming from. It’s being packaged as jam or jelly and you don’t know where the berries come from.”
Ryan said she wants to allow vendors to sell co-packaged products under certain conditions.
“I don’t see a problem with it as long as it’s their own products and their recipe,” she said.
This rule would prohibit farmers market vendors from selling jams made with berries from other parts of the country or world.
The co-packaging proposal was also approved by the advisory committee. It will go to the board of aldermen for a second vote.
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