Woodshop, In a New Form, Would Get City Hall Support
Barrie City Hall Working With Woodshop In Hopes of Reopening in New Location
A Barrie woodshop with a storied past has officially closed, but may find new life in the future. City Hall Monday night voted to discontinue the subsidy and services provided to the Barrie Community Woodshop at Victoria Village, saying the facility isn’t able to meet the city’s safety and other standards. Thanks to a few motions by Mayor Jeff Lehman and Councillor Bonnie Ainsworth, the woodshop could continue, with city support, should it meet a variety of criteria. Those behind the woodshop would have to come up with a suitable space, register as a not-for-profit, and find sustainable funding, among other hurdles. City staff will be working with woodshop volunteers to try and address all concerns, and find sponsorships once they do. The volunteer-driven woodshop had been located at Victoria Village since 2004, and has built bunk beds for the women’s shelter, benches for the Barrie Curling Club change room, and has helped with projects at the Barrie Public Library, Emma King Public School, and the local Terry Fox Run.
