STONE HARBOR – Everyone seems to agree that the farmers market is a success: The Sunday takeover by the market of the water tower parking lot in the borough’s shopping district is a hit with almost anyone who is asked.

Where disagreement begins is with a proposal to extend the market to some Wednesdays. The market’s manager, Will Boyer, would like the market to keep its 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. slot on Sundays while adding five Wednesdays to the schedule, going every other week beginning with the Wednesday after Father’s Day.

But members of the business community voiced concerns, chiefly about getting increased competition from an expanded market and about parking congestion.

The discussion took place at the Borough Council’s Sept. 2 meeting.

Boyer said he frequently talks with people who would like an alternative time since many of them do not have Sunday mornings free. He admits that a Wednesday market would have to be smaller, with fewer vendors in order to avoid disruption of the normal busy routines of a weekday in the retail district.

The borough approved two test pop-up markets this year and Boyer, who said he had no “solid head-count figures,” called the Wednesday markets “exceptionally well-attended.”

The Sunday market generally has roughly 35 vendors in the parking lot or in the street adjacent to it, he said. He added that the Wednesday market would probably have no more than 25 vendors, in order to leave room for weekday business deliveries to the doors that back onto the parking lot.

He also said that the market tries to have a vendor mix that will not draw business away from traditional retail stores in the district.

Not everyone agrees that expanding the market to a weekday is a good idea. During public comment several business representatives voiced skepticism, suggesting more study needs to be done before a decision can be made. There were concerns about market vendors drawing business from local shops, and about parking in the busy district on a weekday.

Josse Rich, a resident and former member of the council, asked why the council was spending time trying to fix what isn’t broken. “It is a success, leave it alone,” she said.

Council member Ken Biddick suggested that the debate would benefit from data versus “hearsay.” He said a survey of some form might elicit useful feedback from the retail business community.

Biddick’s remark came as a representative of the Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce offered the opinion that extending the market to Wednesdays would have “more negative effects” than positive ones.

There was no formal resolution before the council, and the impromptu discussion ended with the close of public comment.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.