The Pottsville Parking Authority decided last week to waive the rental fee it charged Pottsville Outdoor Markets for its remaining two events this year.
Upcoming events are on Sept. 20 at Union Station and on Oct. 11 at the Alvernia University lot.
Pottsville Parking Authority had been charging the business $100 in a rental fee for use of those lots for each event.
Last week, however, the owners of the market business – Deborah and Remo Piccioni – said they’ve been struggling to make a go of it this year. Weather has been debilitating, they said.
Rain dampened the first six market dates of 2025. The market for Sept. 13 was canceled due to lack of participation. The final two for this year will make for a grand total of 10 in the city.
“We’re taking a hit. It’s tough,” Remo told Parking Authority board members.
Executive director Ian Lipton told board members that the Authority has historically charged a rental fee to any for-profit business that wants to use one of its facilities.
However, he did say that the first-year owners of Pottsville Outdoor Markets have faced one particular thing they can’t control: Mother Nature.
Deborah added, “It has been a rough year, especially with the weather. It was back to back to back.”
The couple said they want to keep the market going into the future but in addition to the weather variable, there’s a constant coming from the City, and that’s fees.
In addition to the $100 in rent Pottsville Outdoor Markets pays to the Parking Authority, the City of Pottsville also charges it $75 for trash collection and barricades at the market site each date they’re held.
Remo said each market barely produces three bags of trash to be collected.
“It’s really hard when we have fee upon fee upon fee. That’s one of the reasons we had to cancel the market on Saturday (Sept. 13). We didn’t have enough participation and with all the fees, it just didn’t make financial sense,” Deborah said.
Parking Authority board chairman William Messaros, who is also Mayor, told the Piccionis, “We’ll try to do what we can to help you go forward.”
New board member Joseph Drasdis III said he’s been opposed to the Authority charging Pottsville Outdoor Markets rent since its inception.
The board ultimately voted unanimously to waive the rental fee for the rest of 2025.
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