Moscow City Councilors voted unanimously Monday to pass a series of proposals, including a new mountain bike trail, revisions to the Moscow Farmers Market 2021 Handbook and sale of the Haddock Building.
Council members approved the construction of a new mountain bike path supported by the Moscow Area Mountain Bike Association. The proposed path would be constructed at the Virgil Phillips Farm County Park.
The path would be suited for beginners who are looking to get into mountain biking.
“Beginning or intermediate bikers need some safe places like that,” Moscow resident Diana Armstrong said during the public comment period.
With the new trail, there was concern about the safety of those in the park.
John Wenz, president of MAMBA, said city ordinances make motorized vehicles on these kinds of trails illegal. Signage promoting trail etiquette where bikes are allowed exist as an additional precaution. The trail will be located away from hiking trails within the Virgil Phillips Farm County park, not posing any danger to those hiking.
“This is such an asset,” City Councilor Gina Taruscio said. “This is great in my opinion.”
The council also unanimously approved a proposal to adopt a new iteration of the Moscow Farmers Market 2021 Handbook. The new version of the handbook includes revisions on two policies and the addition of a new policy.
The first revision is in the market operation policies involving refunds. The market will not issue out refunds if the vendors cancel their attendance or do not show up to the market. As an exception, if weather or public safety cancels the market, vendors can request a refund within two weeks of such closures.
The second revision bans generators. Instead, the market recommends using portable battery units or propane, as many food vendors do already.
The new policy mandates vendors register all merchandise items with the Community Events Manager Amanda Argona and only display one piece of merchandise. Vendors can have other pieces at hand but cannot display more than one.
A resolution on the recent purchase of the Haddock Building by the City of Moscow was approved by the council.
The Haddock Building is located at the corner of South Washington and Fifth Street. The proposal accepts the lowest bid from K&G Construction located in Lewiston, Idaho, to remodel the building.
According to Bill Belknap, deputy city supervisor, the building will need renovations like replacing the HVAC system and the roof. This will also include replacing a noncompliant guardrail, rather than the alternative of replacing the staircase itself.
Daniel V. Ramirez can be reached at [email protected]