The presence of opaque fencing around Meridian Place for the inaugural Troubadour Festival caught some people off guard.
The perimeter of Meridian Place, from the stairs below Memorial Square down to Simcoe Street and along the sides, was cordoned off with fencing that stood a few feet high.
The topic of fencing came up at the end of Monday night’s general committee meeting at Barrie City Hall.
Coun. Rose Romita, whose ward includes downtown, said she was “shocked” to see the black fencing around Meridian Place.
“(I saw) quite a few comments on Facebook about that, thinking it would be open, it would never be blocked off and it was for our residents,” Romita said. “When I drove by, I thought, ‘What is going on? I thought it was always open to the public.”
Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman, who said he shared some of Romita’s concerns, noted the fencing was approved last week by city council through an exemption.
Karen Dubeau, director of the city’s creative economy department, said organizers asked for an exemption in order to run a gated, ticketed event. To receive the exemption, Dubeau said festival organizers offered a pair of musician workshops as a community benefit.
“The information (about fencing) was made available through standard communications channels,” said Dubeau, adding staff in her department have also been working with Access Barrie responding to inquiries about the fencing.
“Is that going to be constant, or just on special events?” Romita asked.
Dubeau said the black fencing was a requirement of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), because there was alcohol being served at the event.
"So, the fencing was mandatory," she said.
If there are gated, ticketed events in the future where alcohol is not being served, Dubeau said they will not require the same degree of fencing.
Lehman said the city hosts a significant number of events that have on-site beer gardens, but he didn’t recall the same black fencing around them.
“Is that a new requirement?” the mayor asked.
“In regard to the opaqueness, we are still learning how to operate this particular venue with the AGCO,” Dubeau said. “We’re working very closely with them and the BIA to ensure that whatever protocols are deemed necessary are implemented.
“I would expect reviews to be continuing after this event so that we know, should there be other gated, ticketed events with alcohol, that we are doing best processes that ensure maximum security,” she added.
While Lehman said he also understands part of the reason for the fencing was to block the view of people who didn’t purchase tickets, the mayor said he suspects the reaction to the fencing wouldn’t have been the same had the fencing not been black and opaque, and perhaps instead something transparent and see-through.
“I was a little surprised it was opaque fencing as well,” he said, “but that would be a point of discussion if it was a judgment call with the AGCO.”
The inaugural weekend festival at the outdoor, downtown venue saw performances from the Joel Plaskett Emergency, Hollerado and Born Ruffians.
The three-day music festival had over 40 musical acts performing in five locations.
The event, which attracted around 3,000 people, was deemed a success and 2019 dates have already been announced for next year’s festival, which is slated for Sept. 20-22.
