The Cleveland Public Markets Corporation will begin its transition under new management at the end of April. The nonprofit's executive director told 3News on Monday.
CLEVELAND — West Side Market was buzzing Monday with customers lining up for Cleveland specialties. That wasn't the case on Saturday, when a power outage caused a temporary closure.
But vendors there say a new leadership change there is giving them hope for the future.
“The city will still own Westside Market, but it will be managed a little differently,” said Don Whitaker, owner of DW Whitaker Meats. “A little more practical management.”
Rosemary Madley is executive director of the Cleveland Public Market Corporation. She says her main goal is to improve communication between everyone, especially vendors.
“We work with our vendors to be really responsive and transparent about our expectations,” Madrid explained. ”[Being] We're transparent about what's going on and make sure you always know what's going on. ”
The market has extensive plans for renovations, including a $50 million to $60 million project to upgrade electrical wiring, install an HVAC system and backup generator, and complete basement renovations. ing.
Madley hopes to complete fundraising for renovations soon. She said the city of Cleveland has already contributed $20 million.
“The timeline for something like that is over a year,” she added. “But we're hopeful that we can start things within the next year or two, including actual physical improvements.”
She said this is a team effort between CPMC and the city and they will work collaboratively through the transition.
“The city wants us to be successful because they are very market-focused,” she told 3News. “Vendors want his CPMC to succeed because they want a different way of operating.”
