PARKSVILLE — An increase in stability and options for consumers are the outcomes envisioned from City staff assuming control and management of food truck vendor space at Community Park.
After being managed by the Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce since 2015, a turbulent year in 2024 saw the Chamber step back and opt not to continue, leaving the City with few options.
Deb Tardiff, City communications manager, told Councillors on Monday, Feb. 4, there was a lot of feedback from residents and visitors on “very limited food services” on offer through the season, which spans from the start of May to the end of September.
“We heard on many days…there was just ice cream and donuts so someone who was going down looking for dinner, it wasn’t there. Our plan is to make sure that we are able to schedule both [meals and treats] so that there’s a variety for people.”
Instead of contracting an organization to manage and moderate the spaces, the City will now take over the responsibility to book businesses in the spaces on a one-year pilot project.
Tardiff said she wasn’t sure whether or not it would be more or less work for City staff, namely the special events coordinator, but the hope is to make it a better overall service for the between 6,000 and 8,000 daily park users.
“I’m hopefully not overly optimistic that we will get a good response from the food trucks and be able to get a really good variety and be able to manage that 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. a little better without some of the same challenges we’ve had in the past.”
Reservations for spaces would be made by food truck vendors for specific days, weeks or months.
Charges for businesses would essentially cover the City’s costs for utilities and garbage collection.
Councillors Adam Fras and Amit Gaur were opposed to the City taking over responsibility, at least for now.
Both spoke about the prospect of putting an RFP, request for proposal, out to the community to find a new group to manage the spaces.
Fras, and Gaur, weren’t entirely opposed to the City taking things over, if it was the best or potentially only option.
“We don’t have anything we’re gaining by approving a pilot project now or doing it later,” Fras said. “Either way we would be getting the word out there to the food trucks if we were going to take on the pilot project, reach out to them individually and try and book it, or putting out an RFP where we need to communicate to them.”
Fras said he was concerned about staff time to manage and book the spaces on a day to day basis, as well as not having a guarantee from a group contracted to manage that there would be food options available on a daily basis.
According to City staff, the Chamber have made it clear they would not bid should an RFP be made by the City.
Information is expected out imminently to local area businesses informing them of the change and offering space for this summer.
Applications would be accepted until early March, before scheduling could begin.
Two food truck spaces are currently available at Parksville Community Park, adjacent to the Lions Ventureland Playground.
A third is expected in the near future at a yet-to-be determined location in the park.
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