Barrie Community Woodshop Lives To Saw Another Day

Volunteer-Driven Woodworking Group To Meet With City Hall to Decide Future

A city financed woodshop in Barrie almost got the axe, saved with an eleventh hour motion from a city councillor. On Monday night, City Hall considered a motion to discontinue funding towards the Barrie Community Woodshop at Victoria Village, but Councillor Bonnie Ainsworth stepped in and asked city staff to take another look at the issue. The facility being used at Victoria Village doesn’t meet Building or Fire Code standards, and would cost more to fix than the tax rate can afford. The next step involves City Hall meeting with members of the Woodshop to figure out how to make everyone satisfied. The volunteer-driven Barrie Community Woodshop has been around since 2004, and has built bunk beds for the women’s shelter, change room benches for the Barrie Curling Club, and helped with projects at the Barrie Public Library, Emma King Public School, and the local Terry Fox Run.