Station on the Green closes, now in orange

The volunteer board of Station on the Green community centre in Creemore held a special meeting on Nov. 20 to reconsider whether or not it should remain open for its two user groups.
A recent decision to allow the winter Creemore Farmers’ Market to operate on Saturdays, beginning next week, prompted Clearview council rep Deputy Mayor Barry Burton to bring the issue back to the table, with support from Mayor Doug Measures, who was also in attendance.
As a result, the board reconsidered whether or not it was safe to allow Clearview Community Church to continue its Sunday services.
The two organizations are currently the only users of Station on the Green.
The church is allowed to operate at 30 per cent capacity, with a maximum of 36 people, but the concern is that the market would attract visitors from outside the region, specifically those that have had higher restrictions imposed on them.
“To say it’s safe for one group and not another makes absolutely no sense to me and we leave ourselves open for scrutiny,” said board member Per Hahne.
In the end it came down to liability and the board voted to close the hall to all renters if the area went into orange. Since moving into orange on Monday, the market, which is only selling food from producers and is considered an essential service, is left without a venue.
“If they’re following the protocol it’s pretty safe, that’s what I think,” said Tom Caswell, the only board member to oppose the closure.
If and when to re-open the community centre will be at the discretion of the board.