Photo: CBS 12
A landmark event that USA Today readers have ranked as the best farmers market in the country on more than one occasion is going through a bit of a change.
Security will be beefed up at the West Palm Beach Greenmarket, starting tomorrow. There have been no blockades to keep vehicles from potentially driving into the event where people walk around.
"Since what happened in New Orleans I've gotten some inquiries from the community. 'Are we doing anything different?' Yes. But those things were already in the works."
Interim Police Chief Tony Araujo says several roads will be closed to traffic during the event moving forward so that "immediate measures" can be put into place.
He says they are always assessing security and the move is not a direct response to the terror attack on New Year's Day on Bourbon Street when a man drove a truck into a crowd of people, killing 14 and wounding many others.
"We have to close these roads because if you've been to the Greenmarket and the Flea Market, you can see it's such an open space. You have pedestrian traffic that's going all over the place. You actually have traffic ways that go through the space, so from a security perspective that's not best practice. We were talking about that long before (the New Year's Day terrorist attack) in New Orleans."
Araujo paid a visit to the event for the first time last weekend.
"We really enjoyed it. But as a public safety professional, I saw some things that I think we needed to nip and tuck."
The city is also extending the hours of the greenmarket, which will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Saturday.
More details on the closures:
Beginning at 5 a.m. through 4 p.m. Saturday, vehicular traffic will be prohibited on the following streets in the area surrounding the Greenmarket:
North and South Flagler Drive between Banyan Boulevard and Datura Street
South Dixie Highway (U.S. Highway 1) from just south of Banyan Boulevard and Datura Street
North and South Olive Avenue from just south of Banyan Boulevard and Datura Street
North and South Narcissus Avenue from just south of Banyan Boulevard and Datura Street
Free parking during Greenmarket hours will remain in the City Center, Clematis and Sapodilla garages (now 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.) The Banyan and Evernia garages will remain $5 for an all-day rate.
Only the Banyan Boulevard entrances to the two garages will be open. Access to South Dixie Highway will be closed.
The Clematis Street Garage, located just west of Quadrille Boulevard, is not affected by the enhanced security.
The West Palm Beach Greenmarket runs through April 26th, after the city added one more Spring date to the calendar.
