Downtown Barrie church gets longer lifeline

Central United Church in downtown Barrie has been sold to Victoria Village Seniors Community. (Heather Butts / CTV Barrie)

A downtown Barrie church built in the 1950s is getting a longer lifeline after new plans to redevelop the land it sits on.

Central United Church has stood on Ross Street since it was built in 1957 and has faced several obstacles recently, including a dwindling congregation and a sewage problem that cost nearly $300,000 to repair.

The building has been purchased by Victoria Village Seniors Community next to the church and there are plans to bring it down and build something new on the property.

“The board here has said if any property becomes available in the parcel of land, we would try and purchase it so we’ve had our sights on the church for some time so it will become part of our development,” says Victoria Village general manager Sheri Maynard.

The groups involved say it’s good news all around. Victoria Village will pay the operating costs for the church for the next two years, allowing it to stay open and other programs to continue running. And when Victoria Village does expand, a space for the church will be included in the new build.

“There’s some beautiful wood, there’s some repurposes material there that we could probably reuse and build something they are accustomed to,” added Maynard.

Minister Colin MacDonald believes it’s a great partnership and it won’t have an impact on his congregation.

“A building is just a building and that’s what we’ve come down to. As far as being a congregation is concerned, buildings are buildings and people are far more important than bricks and mortar,” says MacDonald.

The 200 member congregation voted unanimously in favour of the sale.

“It’s wonderful because I moved into Victoria Village because it was next to the church, a place of worship but also a good place to live in extremely important at our age,” says Doris Laroche.

Programs and church services will operate as planned here at Central United for two full years, at that time everything will be reassessed. If Victoria Village isn’t ready to build at that time, things will continue as they are now.