For the past 30 years or so, the Mar-10 house has been one of the most recognized homes in the area — the two massive yellow and red lawn dart sculptures in the front yard make it instantly recognizable.
Situated on the southeast corner of the intersection of Oro-Medonte Sideroad 5/6 and Penetanguishene Road, Mar-10 house is home to Tracey and Derek Martin, a pair of artists who bought the property back in 1986, when they were expecting their first child.
At the time, the Martins were recent graduates of Georgian College’s art program — Tracey in material arts, Derek in ceramics and design.
Immediately after graduating, the couple moved to Bradford and then Richmond Hill before deciding to return to the Barrie area to be closer to friends.
While staying with friends, they decided to look around and see if there was anything in the area that fit their needs.
“I used to have a horse that I kept at Windy Haugh farm, which is just down the street,” Tracey tells BarrieToday. “I’d driven by this spot many, many times and on a couple of occasions I said to myself that if I ever bought a house, it would be this one.”
As fate would have it, the property came up on the market around the same time and the Martins purchased it.
“There was a tiny cardboard sign with the number 4 on it and the word 'sale,'” Tracey recalls. “We stopped to find out what was for sale — we weren’t sure if it was a lawnmower or the house.”
According to Tracey, who was very pregnant at the time, they knocked on the door, found out the house was for sale and, almost instantly, were offered the place.
“Right away, he decided he wanted to sell it to us,” she says.
The Martins laid down $70,000 for the property and set about living the life they’d always wanted. They had a place that was somewhat rural, was surrounded by nature and was affordable.
A little over a month ago, the Martins heard the news second-hand that their property was included in the land the City of Barrie was interested in acquiring from Oro-Medonte as part of Barrie’s boundary expansion plan.
“We didn’t hear it directly from anyone,” Tracey says. “My daughter, who moved to Nova Scotia, was sent a news article about it by one of her friends and she sent it to me. That’s how I found out.”
Despite living right across the street from Barrie, Tracey says she was never informed of the city’s plans. She never had anyone from the city visit to tell her they were considering a possible annexation. Nor has she had anyone visit since it was announced.
For Tracey Martin, and many others, she says it illustrates a complete lack of respect for the Oro-Medonte and Springwater residents who would be forced into the Barrie fold.
“If you want something, you ask somebody if they’re willing to go along with you,” she says. “There’s been none of that.”
When the Martins moved into their house back in '86, there was nothing around them except farm fields. From the front window, they could see forever, all the way down to Georgian College in the city's north end.
Over the years, Barrie’s urban sprawl has crept right up to the other side of Penetanguishene Road — about 20 metres from her property line.
“I’ve seen the expansion of Barrie and that’s about as far as I want to see it go,” she says.
If the City of Barrie is successful with its boundary expansion plan, the Martins say they will have freewill pulled from under their feet — they will become Barrie residents whether they want to be or not.
“I don’t think I have an option,” Tracey says. “I’m going to be told what to do. I’m not happy about it.
“I see no upside for me to be a part of Barrie."
