All Smiles Are: Samara Ray, Ethan Hipple, Director of Portland Parks, Recreation & Facilities and Alex Marshall, Parks Director Who Provided Input to the Changes Created by ICM West for the Cutter Street Food Truck Park onTonight’s city council agenda, Starting at 5:00 pm.
A plan created by Interim City Manager West to downsize the Cutter Street Food Truck Park will be presented to the city council at its in-person meeting tonight by West. Tonight is it’s first reading and no action is required by the council tonight. That will come following a second reading of the West plan.
The West plan, that downsizes the number of food trucks at the popular Cutter Street Park and implements a new hefty fee, was outlined in a memorandum on Friday, February 3, 2023 to Mayor Snyder and members of the Portland City Council. The revised plan is based on West’s research that apparently did not include a food truck task force that was formed originally to set up at the Park. West did consult city departments including the Parks, Recreation and Facilities, Public Works, Permitting and Inspections and Parking.
The number of dedicated food truck spaces at the Cutter Street lot will be reduced from 14 to 7 according to the West memo. This is being done in part to allow the addition of approximately 20 parking spaces, which can be accessed by both food truck customers and other park users. Lack of parking at the food truck Park off Cutter Street was an objection according to the West memo.. (Ironic?!)
The food trucks selected through another lottery will pay rent in the amount of $3,900. for the season. This rental fee is in addition to the standard annual food truck license fee – that is $546. for the summer season.
The City will explore the installation of electricity on the north side of the parking lot during the 2023 season. No promises here!
The seven (7) selected food trucks spaces will be located along the north side of the Cutter Street Park,
Trash vault cans will be installed in the Park area. Trash vaults are now in-hand and can be installed on the Eastern Promenade after many supply-chain delays according to the February 3, 2023 memo from West to city officials referred to above,
The City intends to improve access to the Cutter Street Food Park by installing a walkway and stairs from the Cleeves Monument to the Cutter Street Middle Lot, Does not say in what year that will happen.
The City will provide additional food truck parking at the Amethyst Lot. There will be a fee to use this location. (This is a location rarely used by the public this blogger has noticed. It is next to SailMaine and near Ocean Gateway on the Munjoy Hill waterfront.)
The eleven (11) available spaces (seven at the Cutter Street Park) and four (4) at the Amethyst Lot will be chosen by lottery. Two separate lotteries will be held – one for each location. However, the February 3 memo does not say when the lotteries will occur – a problem for small business owners who need to plan staffing and menus in advance.
This late news of the changed plans and the lack of detail only serves to underscore a wide-spread criticism of the city by food truck owners last year. That these business owners need to plan staffing. rennovations and menus far in advance of the lottery event. It’s clear that the tone-deaf and unaccountable West functions in a big bubble at city hall rather than in the real world of business owners because these decisions need to be made far in advance of the lottery process. Her check keeps coming, regardless.
Transparency? Why wasn’t the West plan for downsizing the Cutter Street Food Truck Park and increased costs to participate there made public by the city? It took some digging by this blogger to find this information. It was not made public because ICBM West knew it would be unpopular by area food truck supporters. Keep it under wraps as long as possible is the West plan.