NEWBURY — The Iron Moon Farm vegetable and produce stand will be back for a second season on the Upper Green — perhaps as early as this weekend.
After some discussion about the farm stand's days and hour of operation, selectmen Tuesday night voted unanimously to allow Iron Moon Farm owners Wendy and Colin Smith to set up shop on the Green. The stand will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. The farm stand's wagon will be removed from the Green every day after the close of business.
Wendy Smith told selectmen Iron Moon's selling season is only about 17 weeks long and ends Oct. 31.
The Smiths said the closure of the Route 1A bridge over the Parker River during its reconstruction has significantly reduced traffic in the area of their 186 High Road farm — and drastically reduced their customer base.
Wendy Smith said the farm has always depended on Route 1A traffic for the bulk of its sales. With that source of business severely limited, they needed the visibility of the Upper Green location to make Iron Moon a viable operation.
The unusually large amount of rainfall this summer has also adversely affected vegetable growth, Colin Smith said.
The Route 1A bridge was closed last September for a reconstruction project that was estimated to take two years. Work on the project is reportedly going faster than expected and the timetable could be shortened.
The bridge closing has stranded several businesses on Route 1A, which is also High Road. The Smiths said they had spoken with the owner of one of them, Michael Packer of Ould Town Gardens, 157 High Road, about the possibility of sharing the stand. Colin Smith said other Route 1A businesses might also participate, although he was not certain which ones.
Wendy and Colin Smith both said they were not interested in establishing a full-scale farmers market.
"We're trying to limit this to people who are affected by the closing of the bridge," Colin Smith said.
Although selectmen said they had received some e-mail messages from people concerned that allowing the Smiths to use the Green was giving away a public resource, the only public comment at Tuesday's meeting was squarely in support of Iron Moon.
High Road residents John and Gloria O'Connell both said the farm stand was an asset rather than a problem.
"I thought the wagon on the Green last year was great," Gloria O'Connell said.
Wendy Smith said Iron Moon had all the necessary liability insurance for the operation. She said she had talked to Department of Public Works director Tim Leonard about putting down stone dust pack to avoid having the wagon or customers' vehicles creating ruts in the Green.
After the selectmen's vote, Wendy Smith said she hoped this would be Iron Moon's last season on the Upper Green.
"I don't want to have to do this every year," she said.
In an attempt to recoup some of their lost income, the Smiths have established a second farm stand at Pearson Plaza in Byfield, which is also open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week.
The motion to allow the farm stand by Selectman Joseph Story did not mention rent. Selectmen Chairman Vincent Russo yesterday said the town will not charge for the farm stand's use of the Upper Green. He said he considers the stone dust packing as an in-kind contribution by the Smiths. Colin Smith had also pledged to donate 2,000 bales of hay for use in Plum Island beach protection measures, if hay is employed as one of the conservation materials, as it has been elsewhere.
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