Starting this summer, Skaneateles residents will have a chance to buy and sell used items in a garage-sale-type setting in Austin Park.
The new “Re-Market” will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first Saturday of the month, starting May 3, in the Austin Park Pavilion parking lot.
The idea was originally proposed earlier this year by Regina Middleton on behalf of Sustainable Skaneateles, Councilor Connie Brace said.
Town employee Sue Murphy later developed an official form that states guidelines for the Re-Market, which the Town Board approved at its April 3 meeting.
The Re-Market will be good for residents who have some items they want to sell, but don’t want to go through the trouble of holding a sale at their own residence, Town Supervisor Mary Sennett said.
One of the driving ideas behind the market is to promote re-use and to reduce some of the less desirable aspects of traditional garage sales, Brace said.
“It will give people an opportunity to gather in one place rather than driving all around the community and it would also reduce the litter of signage, people posting unwanted garage sale signs up on poles and things like that.” she said.
The Re-Market will be set up on the other side of the pavilion from the farmer’s market which will be happening at the same time. Each participant will get one 12-by-14-foot parking space where they can set up a table or lay out items for sale.
Participants must be 18 years old, live in Skaneateles, fill out a form and pay a $10 fee to reserve a spot.
The market will happen six times and the town has set a maximum of 15 available parking spaces and a limit of two times per person, according to the guidelines. Participants will not be allowed to sell new items or crafts and there will be a manager for the event who will approve the articles being sold.
For more information on the Re-Market, or to reserve a spot, residents can call the parks department at 727-9320.
In other business:
—The town introduced a local law to change the date of the board of assessment review’s grievance day, due to a schedule conflict with the assessor. It will be moved from the fourth Tuesday of May to the first Tuesday of June, which this year is June 3.
—Sennett asked for anyone interested in serving on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals contact her. Town officials had a candidate ready to appoint to fill a vacancy on the board, but the person is no longer available.
Joe Genco is the editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
