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Hot dog cart gets OK to set up in Salem parks

SALEM — Visitors to the city pool can buy some Quaker Dawgz this year to quench their hunger and thirst without ever leaving Centennial Park.

The city parks commission voted this week to allow Salem residents Raymond and Jessica Little, the owners of Quaker Dawgz hot dog cart, to set up shop in any of the parks, but especially at Centennial near the pool.

The Littles came to the commission meeting and offered up their services, filling a need the board had been discussing on how to provide snacks to pool patrons. The idea of putting vending machines in the pool area again had been talked about, but there were concerns about costs and vandalism or other problems with the machines.

Raymond Little told commission members they noticed there was no food vending for the pool and said they own a mobile food business which is fully licensed by the city and the city health department. A classically trained chef, he works as a sous chef at a local nursing home facility and he and his wife started the business recently. They’ll sell hot dogs, chips and other foods along with drinks. No equipment will be left behind since the cart goes with them and the parks commission will have no responsibilities. All he said they need is a couple of parking spots. The business is fully self-contained and insured. He and Jessica said they just needed the commission’s permission.

“I think it’s ideal for the pool,” parks Director Steve Faber said.

All three commission members liked the idea and Faber said they could take advantage of some other events, too, such as baseball games and tournaments, the outdoor basketball league and the city fireworks.

The Littles stressed that they live in Salem and they’re raising their children here and the business will give back to the city. Faber said he could write a letter for them to keep with them in case someone asks if they have permission to be in the parks. They have a Facebook page set up and they’re ready to go.

In other business, commission Vice Chairman Terry Hoopes raised a concern about how long it was taking to cut up trees that had come down during a recent storm at Centennial Park. He questioned whether it was a problem of not having the equipment needed or not having enough manpower to handle the job, asking if it should be outsourced just to get it done so the maintenance crew can keep up with all the other work. The department recently lost the parks foreman, who left for another job and isn’t being replaced for now.

Faber said a tree service wanted the one trunk intact and was going to pick it up, which he thought was good since it would not cost the commission anything then to get rid of it. Commission member Lucille Karnofel said if he can get somebody to take it for free, then they should do that, if it’s in a timely manner.

There had been a complaint about the sidewalk being blocked due to the tree being down, but Faber said the sidewalk isn’t blocked because of the tree. He said it’s blocked because when the tree came down, that section of sidewalk got broken up. They’ll need to fix the sidewalk area. He also said they’ll need to fill the holes where the trees were located.

City resident Linda Mellish thanked the commission for putting up the duck pond sign she got about not feeding the ducks bread and also for getting the duck pond cleaned up. Mellish had been on the news earlier in the week complaining about the duck pond where there were some dead fish. Commission Chairman John Panezott said that’s all part of the circle of life and nothing they can control. The commission had an aeration system installed last year to improve the duck pond conditions and that system has been working.

Faber thanked Mayor John Berlin and the city service department for making asphalt repairs at Waterworth Memorial Park in the parking lot. He said he wants to look at other parking areas and roads in the parks and possibly plan for that work in next year’s budget.

mgreier@salemnews.net

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