Washington’s City Council, during its meeting today, is scheduled to receive an update on the Washington Harbor District Alliance’s plans for relocating the Washington Farmers & Artisans Market.

At the council’s June 26 meeting, Dot Moate, who lives near the market’s current site, which is bounded by East Main, Bonner and Water streets, said some market vendors expressed concerns about the site. The market, operated by the Washington Harbor District Alliance, was relocated there this year because of improvements to Crab Park at the western end of Stewart Parkway, where the market had been located for several years. The outdoor market runs April through October of each year.

The vendors complained to Moate on June 24. She did not identify those vendors. On June 24, an event was occurring at Festival Park, which hampered parking for market customers, she said. Also affecting customer traffic at the market is the absence of signs informing people where the market is located, she noted. Market vendors said those factors and the current location are resulting in fewer customers, according to Moate.

“We had two of three vendors leave before it was time to close up,” Moate told the council last month.

The vendors who complained suggested finding a new, better location for the market. They suggest closing off the section of Respess Street between the waterfront and Main Street on Saturdays and relocating the market there. City officials would have to approve such a move, according to City Manager Bobby Roberson, who later met with WHDA leaders to discuss possible solutions to the problem.

One of those solutions, according to WHDA representatives, could be an indoor market — Harbor District Market — in the former McClellan’s department store on West Main Street. According to Chris Furlough, WHDA president, the indoor market would house about 50 to 60 vendors throughout the year. A climate-controlled site for the market would help keep produce fresher longer, according to Furlough. A market that operates throughout the year would allow more time for vendors to sell their wares, he said.

The council meets at 5:30 p.m. today in the Council Chambers in the Municipal Building, 102 E. Second St. To view the council’s agenda for a specific meeting, visit the city’s web­site at www.washingtonnc.gov, click “City Agendas.” Locate the appropriate agenda (by date) under the “Washington City Council” heading, then click on that specific agenda listing.