After being closed for more than a year for construction, Republic Square reopened to the public at the beginning of October.
Located in downtown Austin at Guadalupe and Fourth Street, the park was closed in May of 2016 for aesthetic work and infrastructure changes. During the time it was closed, the weekly farmers’ market that once took place in the square was relegated to the outer edge of the park and to the steps of a neighboring federal courthouse.
The construction gates were removed officially on October 5 and the farmers' market reopened in its new-old home at 9:00 am last Saturday, October 7. Around 50 vendors set up shop, selling locally grown vegetables, fruit, meat, and dairy products.
City officials can use poster printing to let residents know when major construction projects are underway and when they are completed. In Austin, the park's closure did affect the farmers who attend the market in some ways; fewer shoppers came by during the months when the park was closed, farmer Kris Olsen told the Austin American-Statesman. Olsen sell eggs at the market and usually shifts between 200 and 300 dozen each week.
Although the park is officially open now, a grand reopening celebration will not be held until the spring, when the restrooms and a new cafe will officially open. All told, the project cost the city nearly $6m.
