Should they choose to do so, two vendors could operate food carts along Washington’s downtown waterfront during the remainder of the summer and into early fall.

During its meeting Monday, the Washington City Council authorized the city’s parks and recreation manager to sign two waterfront vendor contracts.

The authorization permits Michael Weeks (Loreta’s Frozen Yogurt/Loreta’s Frozen Desserts) and Michael Senn (Senn Farms Catering) to operate as food vendors at specified locations along Stewart Parkway. The authorization came two weeks after the council approved the contract template that will be used to govern the sale of food and beverages on Stewart Parkway and amended the City Code to allow peddling on the waterfront.

Although the contract template is for a full year, the authorization allows the parks and recreation manager to negotiate terms for the contracts for the remainder of this year. For 2016, the manager would solicit and accept bids for waterfront vendors.

“This is a two-part recommendation that’s actually coming from recreation and parks. The first one is to recommend that the recreation manager execute the contract with Michael Weeks and in addition to that Michael Senn. Here again, it’s been ongoing for a couple of months here,” said interim City Manager Bobby Roberson. “Although the contract template is for one year, we’re recommending the City Council authorize the recreation manager to negotiate the contract the day it is signed.”

Mayor Mac Hodges asked Roberson if Weeks and Senn were planning to begin selling food as of March 1, 2016, because most of this summer season has passed.

“We would actually try to execute the contract and then pro rate the $1,800 when he signs the contract,” Roberson said, indicating at least one of the two vendors may sell items during the remaining warm months of this year. “Unless I hear from the staff they have a problem with that.”

The proposed license fee for Weeks and Senn would be $1,800 for a year, according to bid information sheets. On his bid information sheet, Weeks indicated that he expects start-up of his food-cart service within 15 to 30 days, if not sooner, of city approval.

Weeks plans to sell frozen dessert items that include, but are not limited to, frozen yogurt, ice cream, gelato, non-alcoholic beverages and frozen treats for dogs at the intersection of Respess Street and Stewart Parkway.

Senn, according to his bid information sheet, plans to begin his food-cart service Sept. 1. He plans to sell hot dogs, chips and non-alcoholic beverages near the dockmaster’s station at the west end of Stewart Parkway.

The contract requires food and beverage vendors to refrain from driving on sidewalks or other non-vehicular areas when delivering or removing the vendor’s cart or other equipment. Vendors also must sell items only in the areas assigned to them. Vendors are required to keep their areas clean and dispose of any and all trash and refuse produced by operation of their carts. Vendors also will be required to pay a monthly licensing fee. Vendors may not sell items to people in parked vehicles.