Campaspe Shire Council interim chief executive Tim Tamlin and investment attraction manager Astrid O’Farrell approved the funding for the much-needed upgrade.
Quincey Jones Jelly Preserves founder and EFM president Tim Harley said the upgrades were a positive economic opportunity for the community.
“Before these upgrades we could only offer electricity to two stall holders, and even then the power would trip out all the time because we only had 10 amperage,” he said.
“We can now cater for up to six powered stalls and we now have two 15 amperage outlets, which will stop the power from tripping out.”
The EFM committee has been advocating for the upgrades for three months as it has several meat and food stalls that require power for cool rooms.
Mr Harley said prior to the upgrades, the coffee van had to use a generator due to limited amperage.
“Now they won’t need to use that generator, which means noise pollution around the market will be reduced and the bands that play there won’t be drowned out,” he said.
“It’s just another reason to come down and enjoy the atmosphere at the market.”
EFM vice-president Sarah Crossman said the upgrade of the power supply at Echuca Aquatic Reserve was a fabulous asset.
“This is a great opportunity for both the Echuca Farmers’ Market, having the ability to expand the number and diversity of stallholders requiring power, but also for other user groups who will now have the opportunity to access power when hosting their events,” she said.
“A big thank you to the Shire of Campaspe for enabling this.”
Mr Harley said he too was grateful for the generosity of council.
“Mr Tamlin comes down to the market every time it’s on,” he said.
“The market is a great little community outlet that Mr Tamlin sees a lot of value in and I believe that was a key reason for him supporting us.”
Since the new power boards were installed, EFM has been able to add a fresh ice-cream truck to its long list of stall holders.
Be sure to check out all the market has to offer on the first and third Saturday of every month from 8am to 1pm.