Easton Restaurant Week Showcases Local Eatery's Offerings

Those who enjoy fine cuisine will be delighted at the return of Easton Restaurant Week, beginning tomorrow, January 19 and running through next Saturday, January 25.

Nineteen restaurants will feature lunch and dinner specials for a fixed price. A wide variety of styles and cultures are represented in the diverse mix of participants, and there's likely to be something to please everyone on the list.

Menu offerings and hours vary between the individual eateries, so it's best to check the websites of each or call ahead. Reservations are highly suggested.

Click here for a complete list of participating bistros with menu links or see below for contact information.

Bon appetit!

• 3rd and Ferry Fish Market, Third and Ferry streets, 610-829-1404
• Batuque Brazilian Restaurant, 154 Northampton St., 610-250-7171
• Black & Blue, 683 Walnut Street, 610-438-3604
• Cheeburger Cheeburger, 336 Northampton St., 610-438-1311
• de Lorenzo's Italian, 1210 Knox Avenue, 610-438-6026
• Leaf Cigar Bar & Lounge, 90 Mort Drive. 610-559-1336
• Marblehead Chowderhouse, 4101 William Penn Highway, 610-258-4301
• Maxim's 22, 322 Northampton St. 610-252-2622
• Mesa Modern Mexican, 42 S. 3rd St. 610-829-2101
• Ocean, 235 Ferry St. 610-559-7211
• Pearly Baker's, 11 Centre Square, 610-253-9949
• Plum House Japanese Restaurant, 325 Cattell St., 610-438-3581
• The Pomfret Club, 33 S. Fourth St. 610-258-7641
• Porter's Pub, 700 Northampton St., 610-250-6561
• River Grille, 243 Northampton St. 610-923-5110
• Sette Luna, 219 Ferry St. 610-253-8888
• Two Rivers Brewing Co., 542 Northampton St., 610-829-1131
• Valenca, 64-66 Centre Square. 610-923-5141
• Vintage Restaurant & Bar, 100 Clubhouse Drive. 610-923-8480

Public Input Sought on Local Food Economy

A forum, "The Lehigh Valley Local Food Economy", will be held at The Nurture Nature Center this coming Thursday, November 14 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. as part of a series of public gatherings in the Lehigh Valley planned that will discuss strategies for policy, system, and individual changes that can lead to a stronger local food economy and ensure the availability of fresh, healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate food for local residents.

At the coming forum at Nurture Nature Center, Lynn Prior, director for Buy Fresh Buy Local of the Greater Lehigh Valley, will speak, and public input will be gathered to guide the creation of a Fresh Food Access Plan towards a healthier, more sustainable food environment in which fresh food is available to all Lehigh Valley residents, both now and in the future.

The plan will be used to update the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plan, "The Lehigh Valley … 2030."

A local foods reception will follow the forum.

This event is free, but organizers ask that participants register in advance by calling Brooke Kohler at 610-253-4432 or sending an email to info@BuyLocalGreaterLehighValley.org

Additionally, the newly published "Assessment Report:  Lehigh Valley Local Food Economy"  is available on the BuyLocalGreaterLehighValley.org website today. The report outlines the current state of the local food system, including both its challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Easton City Council Says No to Chickens in City Backyards

By Christina Georgiou

"Firecracker" a Silkie/Cochin mix chicken, is held by
Nicole Kilhullen, 11, of Stewartsville, NJ during
"Chicken Dialogues", a public information session
on the keeping of backyard chickens that was
held a tthe Nurture Nature Center in August.

Those looking for fresh eggs in the City of Easton will have to buy them at the farmers' market, as city council members decided against changing city ordinances to allow the keeping of chickens within city limits Tuesday night.

Council members cited various concerns for problems keeping fowl within the urban environment could potentially cause, and nearly all present at the informal council committee meeting said they would not support the necessary ordinance change to allow the practice.

The issue was raised in May, after College Hill resident Annie Porter requested that local elected officials consider overturning the ban to allow keeping up to six hens, but no roosters, per property. Porter said she wanted to keep the birds to provide fresh eggs for her family, and for their educational value for her children.

A public meeting was held in August at the Nurture Nature Center, where about 60 people gathered for an information session outlining the pros and cons of keeping chickens in urban and residential areas. Most at the meeting, which was also attended by Easton city council members Jeff Warren, Roger Ruggles, Ken Brown, and Sandra Vulcano, seemed to favor of the idea.

A meeting to gather public input was also held in September, but was much more sparsely attended, with about half a dozen city residents speaking in favor of changing the law.

"We've gone through a fairly lengthy process," said Ruggles, who heads the council's planning committee, Tuesday night.

Ruggles said he studied the matter thoroughly, as well as taken input from the city's health and code enforcement officers, and he feels there are more potential issues the city will face if it changes the law than there are potential advantages.

"One of the things in my reading that was never brought up is that chickens draw predators," he said.

"You may be able to protect the chickens with chicken wire, but then the predators go after cats and dogs," said Mayor Sal Panto. "I'm not in favor of changing the law, but maybe (keeping chickens) could be used as a showcase at the urban farm (in South Side)."

"I learned a lot," Vulcano said of her attendance at the Nurture Nature information session. "And I learned that I really don't want chickens living near me."

"I don't see a reason (the law) needs to change," Brown said.

"There are wonderful eggs at the farmers' market," said Councilwoman El Warner. "I'd like to not ever discuss this again."

Easton Garlic Fest Draws a Huge Stinkin' Crowd

By Christina Georgiou

The Easton Garlic Fest drew an estimated 10,000 people to the city on Saturday, and nearly that number again on Sunday, as visitors reveled in all things related to the "stinking rose."

Event Headline Chef, Abe Lopez of Valenca restaurant, captured the hearts--and the title--of both official judges and the popular vote in the "Gastric Garlic People's Choice Contest" against nearly a dozen other contending local bistros on Saturday. 

Lopez's culinary prowess also led Easton and Mayor Sal Panto to victory against Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and chef Joe Grisafi of Roma restaurant, and Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and Chef Tim Plante of Youell's Oyster House in the "3 Mayors Cook-Off" held on Sunday afternoon.

The newly opened Batuque restaurant were picked by judges for first place honors in the "Dangerous Desserts" contests, while the "people's choice" award went to Pearly Baker's Alehouse for their garlicky dessert entry.

As might be expected, garlic was laced in nearly everything during the two-day annual event. Vendors sold all sorts of garlic seasonings and flavored treats, including garlic ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, and even lollipops.

At the beer tasting event, a special garlic ale was provided by the Lehigh Valley Homebrewers, while other local and regional craft brew purveyors offered up seasonal offerings, such as pumpkin beers, and other selections designed to pair well with garlicky delectables.

Of course, no outdoor festival would be complete without live music, and the Easton Garlic Fest offered up a wide variety of genres, culminating with a rousing performance by the James Supra Band, who had festival-goers dancing all the way to the end of the day on Sunday.

"This really was the best year ever!" said Easton Garlic Festival organizer Jo Moranville, caught near the end of the day on Sunday. "I'm exhausted, but it's really all worth it."

From what we observed over the weekend, we're pretty sure the crowd agrees with her.

Click on any photo for a better view.

 

Council to Continue to Consider Urban Chickens

By Christina Georgiou

Firecracker, a Silkie/Cochin mix chicken, is
held by NicoleKilhullen, 11, of Stewartsville, NJ
at a public discussion of the pros and cons of
keeping backyard chickens held at Nurture
Nature Center last month. Several residents
are requesting that Easton City Council
consider lifting a ban on keeping chickens
in the city and allow small personal
flocks so residents can have fresh eggs.

 Half a dozen residents voiced their support for overturning the current ban on keeping chickens in urban Easton at Tuesday evening's city council committee meeting, though a city health inspector said the practice could create problems.

Ted Verasink, one of Easton's two part-time health code inspectors, worried that overturning the ban would create an enforcement problem, and that those that failure to keep the birds responsibly might cause odor, insect, and rodent issues.

"I'm not sure it's going to be easy to maintain chickens in the city," he said.
Verasink also wondered if chicken waste could cause issues disposing of manure.

"In the urban setting that we have, I think we should give a great deal of thought before we change anything," Verasink said, though he conceded that those who might keep chickens and follow good animal husbandry rules would probably not cause any problems. "Those that wouldn't are the potential issue."

But residents in support of allowing the keeping of chickens inside of city limits say the proposal to keep small flocks with no roosters would be unlikely to cause problems.

"I understand the issues with people that don't behave well," said Joanne Czeck of South Fifth Street. "I promise I wouldn't be one of them."

She suggested that the amount of chicken manure a small flock would produce can easily be taken care of by covering it with straw, and that if she were allowed to keep the birds, they'd always be in a coop, "because there's hawks, you know?

"A small flock, it's just harmless," Czeck said.

South Side resident Melissa Beveridge also spoke in favor of allowing residents to keep chickens in the city.

"We would like to have chickens also," she told council members. "It would be a very small flock. I did my homework, and then found out I couldn't do it."

Rich Cook, who lives on Sixth Street, said that the urban nature of Easton isn't a barrier to keeping chickens responsibly, and that they can easily be kept without disturbing neighbors or causing health concerns.

"Nothing we've talked about is new. Many cities larger than Easton allow the keeping of chickens," he said, noting, "There are no limitations to how many chickens you can have in New York City."

Cook said the practice is growing in popularity.

"The fact is, this is a movement that is taking place across the country...You need to be open-minded about this," he said. "The people that don't 'get' chickens won't get this."

While some might not be responsible animal owners, the majority likely will be, and changing the law is unlikely to bring too many chickens to the city, Cook opined.

"There's probably a small number of people that will embrace this," he said. "The people that invest in this probably have done their research."

Small urban yards shouldn't be a real issue either, Cook said, as chickens only need about four square feet apiece.

College Hill resident Annie Porter, whose request in May prompted Easton city council to reconsider the ban, said she appreciates the consideration officials have given the matter.

"I just want to plug again to consider changing the ordinance," she said, adding that a small flock of chickens is kept by her class at the school where she teaches.

Porter said chicken manure can easily be composted, and said that chickens far less maintenance than dogs, and that both kinds of animals should be considered as pets.

Considering the chickens as pets would circumvent requests from residents wanting to keep other, more labor-intensive and potentially annoying fowl such as guinea hens, at their residences in the city, she said.

Porter said that chicken feed for a small flock is no more likely to attract vermin than regular bird seed, and that city officials finding that a family has been keeping a flock of 11 chickens at their home in the West Ward, with the birds being housed in the basement at night shows that, "the worst case scenario already exists."

While she'd like city codes to allow up to six hens, she said a new ordinance might specify the number of chickens one could keep based on yard size.

"Maybe if you have a postage stamp-sized yard, you only have enough room for one or two hens," Porter said.

City council members, some of who attended a public discussion of the matter held at Nurture Nature Center in August, seemed on the fence about the possibility of changing the law, saying they still have questions about if chicken-keeping could cause problems.

"I have several concerns, and one of them is equality," said Councilman Roger Ruggles, who heads the council's planning committee, which is set to make a final recommendation about the matter to city council. "Part of the setback issue is to prevent noise...and chickens draw predators--skunks...all types of animals that come after chickens."

Mayor Sal Panto said he's worried a law based on yard size could be unfair and create "classes of people", something he wants to avoid.

"I don't think it's fair for the city to say 'you have a bigger back yard, you can have them' but with a smaller yard you can't," he said. "That's one concern I have about (regulating it) by yard size."

Lafayette College's director of the Landis Community Outreach Center, Bonnie Winfield, speaking on behalf of the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership, suggested that chickens might be kept in a co-op situation to be located at the Urban Farm in the city's South Side, and that those who contribute could then be entitled to a share of the eggs produced.

"I think maybe having a co-op might be a solution for everybody," Ruggles said, adding that the city council planning committee will be discussing the matter, as well as taking more input from the city's health department before making a formal recommendation to city council some time in the coming weeks.

Panto said he appreciated attending residents for making their wishes known.

"Thank you for you enthusiasm," he said.

Veggie Van Wraps Up First Season, Changes Likely for Next Year

By Christina Georgiou

Residents wait in line for fresh, locally grown
produce at the last Easton Veggie Van stop
of the season Monday evening in the city's West Ward.

 Easton's Veggie Van distributed its last load of locally grown produce for this year yesterday evening--approximately 300 pounds to about 50 city residents--and while the final results and the exact future of the program are yet to be determined, the volunteers who run it say their effort to get more fresh, healthy foods to West Ward residents was a definitely a success.

A total of more than 1,500 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit were distributed this summer, coming from local gardens at Lafayette College, the Urban Farm in Easton's South Side, and from community gardens in the West Ward, including the one at South 10th and Pine streets, where six of the seven weekly summer Veggie Van stops took place.

The project was a collaboration between the annual Lafayette College multi-discipline technology clinic and the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership, and both groups said they will be crunching numbers, tallying answers given on surveys circulated among Veggie Van customers, and analyzing collected data, to determine how the program will best work next year.

While the produce was given away for free this year, with donations gratefully accepted, that will probably change in 2014, said more than one person involved in the program. Giving away the produce at first not only helped the group gauge public interest, but also get around city ordinances pertaining to vending and eliminate the need for paying for permitting when the success of the effort was still untested and uncertain.

"For us, as a sort of intellectual exercise, which is what the tech clinic is, there is a lot to work on for next year," said Lafayette College professor Larry Malinconico, who also serves at the tech clinic's advisor. "We learned things over the summer. There are day-to-day mundane things, like 'What do you need?' Bags, for one thing, though people were bringing their own."

What the best way to distribute the bounty was also something the tech clinic will be working on, he said, noting that while it was clear from the beginning the idea was popular, the first week, held during the city's Summer Nights program at Centennial Park, emphasized the need for a more controllable situation.

While moving the distribution point to the 10th Street community garden provided that and is fairly centrally located in the West Ward, next year the program may add a second weekly distribution spot, or possibly even use the "ice cream truck" model to get the fresh veggies to residents.

Allie Nagurney, Lafayette College tech clinic student coordinator,
distributes produce at the last Easton Veggie Van stop
of the summer Monday evening.

"We had to work hard to get people here," said Allie Nagurney, who serves as the project's student coordinator. "Whether people will 'get it' with someone driving around, I don't know."

Still, the program's popularity grew during the summer months, and the volunteers are happy with the outcome of their efforts.

"It was rewarding to see new people, that word got out," Malinconico said. "We learned a lot. It was successful in terms of the goal of making people aware of nutrition and fresh vegetables."

"It was very different that I expected it to be, but I learned a lot," Nagurney added.

The program has the potential too to eventually employ an entrepreneurial resident to run it, especially if those involved determine the "ice cream truck" model will work as a way to bring fresh produce to those in the West Ward, opined Sophia Feller, who coordinates several community gardens in the city and works as the WWNP's administrative secretary. Under this scenario, the produce would be sold to customers, though prices would be moderately set to ensure affordability, she added.

Tech Clinic students, along with those from the WWNP, involved in the project are set to meet later this week to discuss various aspects of Veggie Van experiment. Tech Clinic participants will also be brainstorming on the project's further evolution this fall, with a public presentation of their findings set for some time in December.

But whatever the Tech Clinic finds and whatever decisions are made for next year's Veggie Van, one thing is certain.

"The is a West Ward effort. The Tech Clinic helped facilitate this," Malinconico said. "But it has to be a neighborhood effort to be successful."

Veggie Van Proves to Be a Hit with Local Residents

By Christina Georgiou

The Easton "Veggie Van" arrives Tuesday evening at Centennial Park
in the city's West Ward, with an estimated 300 pounds of fresh, locally
grown produce for distribution to enthusiastic residents.
Contributed photo by Larry Malinconico.

Loaded with an estimated 300 pounds of locally grown fresh produce, the new Easton Veggie Van was scheduled to be at the city's Summer Nights program for an hour and a half Tuesday evening. Stuffed to the gills, organizers wondered if they'd brought more food than they could distribute.

Instead, more than 90 percent of the vegetables were eagerly snatched up in about 15 minutes.

Less than an hour later, Veggie Van volunteers packed up, with only four zucchini and eight leaves of collard greens remaining.

The project, one of several to get more fresh, healthy food into the hands of Easton residents, is a collaboration between the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership and Lafayette College's Technology Clinic, which has been studying ways to make healthy food more accessible in the city neighborhood where many don't have cars and struggle to make ends meet.


Lynne Holden, with the West Ward
Neighborhood Partnership, assists
with bagging collard greens, while
right, Lafayette student Tech Clinic
coordinator Allie Nagurney, stands
ready with recipes to distribute.

 The Veggie Van--a small pickup truck, actually--came laden with 80 pounds of cucumbers, 100 pounds of zucchini, 40 pounds of summer squash, buckets of collard greens and swiss chard, beets, carrots, string beans, potatoes, rutabagas, cabbages and onions, along with some herbs like basil and parsley. All the produce was grown locally, coming from the Lafayette farm project, the Easton Urban Farm, the Crayola garden, and various other community gardens around the city.

The Tech Clinic has been working on coming up with solutions to much of the West Ward being a "food desert"--defined in this case as a mostly low-income neighborhood where many residents don't have a vehicle and live more than a mile from the closest full-service grocery store--for the past two years, said Lafayette College geology professor Larry Malinconico, who serves as the group's advisor.

Students in the clinic come from a variety of backgrounds and majors, and aim to come up with solutions to local issues using an interdisciplinary approach. This year, the group decided to focus on better ways to get fresh food to those who may have difficulty getting to a grocery store  or affording it a the city's twice weekly farmers' market.


Nearly completely cleaned out of food in less than an hour,
the Veggie Van crew is ready to pack up.

While the city has a number of community gardens, these weren't solving the problem of getting fresh food to residents either, he said.

"People weren't coming to the community gardens, and (the vegetables) were getting wasted," Malinconico said.

The Tech Clinic looked at what people in other communities were doing to solve their issues, and eventually decided to try "the ice cream truck" model--that is, bringing the food to the neighborhood, he said.

Lafayette sophomore Allie Nagurney, who serves as the project's student coordinator, said the approach seems to be a success so far.

"Once it was announced, everyone wanted some," she said, adding that the truck will be visiting various locations in the West Ward weekly for the next five or six weeks.


A Veggie Van enthusiast sets off for home.

 The method of distribution will probably be tweaked for the Veggie Van's appearance next week, she added. While this week was certainly a success, and about 40 people were recipients of the truck's bounty, some received more produce than others, and some vegetables ran out before others had the chance to get them.

But Nagurney had no complaints about the food going so quickly and said the project seems to be a success so far.

"We worked really hard to make this happen," she said, adding that she hopes the Veggie Van will become a permanent fixture in the neighborhood for years to come.

"We're hoping to make this a yearly thing," she said. "We want to make it sustainable."

For now, the vegetables are free, though donations to help offset costs are welcomed.

Running the Tech Clinic costs about $8,000 annually, Malinconico estimated, noting that it's the one program Lafayette doesn't fund, and that he and students must cover the costs of the projects the program undertakes themselves.

Along with the produce, the volunteers also handed out recipes for the individual vegetables on hand, which might eventually provide one source of offset revenue for the future.

"It would be fun to get a little cookbook together by the end of the summer too," Nagurney said.

Next week, the Veggie Van will be stopping at South 10th and Pine streets, the site of one community garden in the West Ward, beginning at 5:30 p.m.


The community garden at South 10th and Pine streets will
be the site of the next Veggie Van stop, next Monday,
beginning at 5:30 p.m.



Expected to be on the truck are zucchini, cucumbers, beets, summer squash, beans, carrots, lettuce and other greens, onion, garlic, and more, Nagurney said, adding that the program will continue weekly, on Mondays, for the next five or six weeks.

Next Monday's location was deliberately chosen to further help raise awareness and hopefully help residents begin to grow their own summer crops too, Malinconico said.

"We want people to know where the community gardens are," he said.

Beyond next Monday, July 22, future Veggie Van drop-off locations are yet to be determined. Bookmark this page and check back for more dates--we'll provide updates as soon as they're announced.

Easton Farmers' Market to Occupy Vacant Weller Center

By Christina Georgiou

The vacant Weller Center building on the 300 block of
Northampton Street will soon be the home of the Easton
Farmers' Market's new indoor, year-round venue.

The Weller Center has been vacant for the past five years, but that is soon to change, it was announced Tuesday, and the Easton Farmers' Market will soon be further expanding to occupy it, along with the Easton Main Street and Ambassadors programs.

The Greater Easton Development Partnership, whose offices will also move to the space at 325 Northampton St., is purchasing the building for $900,000, and it will be remodeled to suit the new indoor farmers' market. The entire project is estimated to cost approximately $1.4 million.

Over the winter, the EFM held its first indoor market during the cold months at Nurture Nature Center, at 518 Northampton Street. The success of that venture, along with the growing popularity of the traditional outdoor market on Centre Square, convinced GEDP and city officials to expand on the concept by occupying a permanent space, said EFM manager Megan McBride.

EFM Manager
Megan McBride

"Transitioning into a permanent indoor market space will contribute to the sustainability of local farms," McBride said, adding that she expects the new market will not only draw visitors to the city much like the existing seasonal markets have, but also serve the growing residential population of Easton's Downtown neighborhood and residents in the West Ward, which is within walking distance.

"This really is a dream come true," McBride added. "To provide fresh locally grown good year round is something I never thought would come true...We're thrilled to be settling into this permanent indoor market space."

Plans for the remodelling of the Weller Building into a permanent home
for the Easton Farmers' Market.
Click on any photo for a full-size view

The remodelling and day-to-day management of the new space will be taken on by Jared Mast, recently hired by GEDP for the job.

Mast, a Cornell University graduate who formerly worked in education management, said his first tasks will be to hire an architect with expertise in food-related projects to remodel the building and to immediately begin to recruit appropriate vendors for the market.

Some will likely be existing EFM vendors, but others will likely be new, he said. While the current market is "producer-only", Mast predicted that some in the new market may be resellers, though those vendors will be selected to complement the existing philosophy and feel of the EFM.

The 16,000 square foot new space will probably accomodate 30 to 40 vendors in total, he estimated.

"I think the producer-only idea may have to give way to other ideas," he said.

Crafts and other appropriate hand-made goods may also be part of the mix in the new indoor space, he said.

This year's indoor winter market will open in the former Weller Center, he added.

"We're very excited to get into this space and get going," he said.

While the indoor winter market is planned to open in November as last year, the permanent indoor market's days and hours of operation, which will likely begin in the spring of 2014, are yet to be determined, Mast said, but "we'll be open more than two days a week."

The second and third floors of the building, comprising another 4,000 square feet, is office space. GEDP, the Easton Main Street Initiative, Easton Ambassadors, and the EFM office will all move into that area of the building.

The Weller Center, which still conducts health and wellness school outreach programs, will also lease space for its offices there too, for at least the next six months.

The remaining office space may be leased to other companies, or more likely for now, may become a cooperative office space that freelancers and start-up companies can rent on a short-term basis.


While it's uncertain if they will stay, murals on the walls of
the Weller Center that reflect its mission of health and
wellness education would also be appropriate  for the new
year-round home of the Easton Farmers' Market.

Melissa Lee, president of the Weller Center, said the organization, which had originally listed the building for $1.2 million is happy to have come to the arrangement with GEDP and looks forward to seeing the space be occupied again.

"One of the fun parts is going to be watching them use it, at least for a while," she said, noting that the EFM's healthy food focus is similar to the Weller Center's health education mission.

Mayor Sal Panto praised the project, saying it will fulfill a number of city and resident needs, as well as provide a good use for a space that has been empty for years.

"When I took office in 2008, this block was pretty bad, honestly," he said. "This building has been vacant for about five years, and it's time to bring it back to life.

Mayor Sal Panto talks about the new project at the
Weller Center building on Northampton Street Tuesday.

"As a person that owned a grocery store, I can tell you that food follows people, people don't follow food," he said. "We have people (Downtown) now, and more people are coming."

While the project will be funded by GEDP, likely with loan assistance from the city's Redevelopment Authority, Panto said the city will attempt to help in other ways too.

"There are a of of good grants out there for food, so we'll be looking for them," he said.

Panto also expressed confidence in Mast as the project manager, saying he's known Mast's family for decades and known him since he was a baby.

"He comes from a family that's extremely hard-working," Panto said.

The mayor also expressed enthusiasm for sustaining business in the Downtown in other ways than just food.

"I really do like the idea of cooperative offices on the second and third floors," he said. "I think that could be great for young people who are so internet-based."

The city is working to ensure there is enough parking to accomodate those that make the indoor market a destination, too, Panto said.

The rear entrance to the building will be utilized as well, said
Mayor Sal Panto, noting that it is adjacent to convenient
city parking lots on Church and North Fourth streets, below.

There will be a back entrance to the indoor food market, so patrons will be able to park in the city's Church Street and new North Fourth Street parking lots without having to truck their purchases around the block to load them into their cars, he said.

"It's really an important component of a successful Downtown, how your strategize your parking," he said.

Redevelopment Authority Director Gretchen Longenbach, who is also the city's liason with the GEDP, said the deal to purchase the Weller Center building had been in the works for the past six or seven months, and the final deal provides a win for all the involved parties.

"This particular project will allow us to meet a lot of our goals and solve a lot of our problems," she said.

With the impending sale of the Alpha Building and move of City Hall to the planned transportation center further south on Third Street in a little over a year, presumably the EFM and Ambassadors would shortly have been forced to find a new location.

The Main Street offices, currently located below the city's parking garage, which is likely to be demolished and rebuilt in a few years, also would have been forced to relocate in the future too.

GEDP's offices' move, currently in a store front the 100 block of Northampton Street, being consolidated into a building it owns will presumably provide a cost savings for the organization in the long run. Since a substantial chunk of its operating budget is provided by city funding, that will also translate into a saving for taxpayers over the long term.


Attendees at the Weller Center building on Tuesday applaud
at the announcement of the Easton Farmers' Market's
new year-round indoor market.

While the impending project has just been announced, some nearby residents are enthusiastic about the plan.

Dennis Davis, who relocated to Easton from Brooklyn about two years ago and lives in the Pomeroy building across the street, said he's been wondering when the vacant building would again be occupied since he moved in.

"I think it's a great idea," he said, adding that he makes the effort to shop locally and support city businesses. "I get the feeling this downtown area is coming back to life."