The Veenpark will remain open in the coming weeks. That says curator Jan Maarten Pol. “There are several parties that, since it was known that the park was for sale, reported for a takeover. It would be nice if we could do business with one of these parties. That is why the public could just visit the park in the coming weeks. Closure would break too much.”
Pol found a company that ran on its last legs. The province’s decision that the Veenpark had to repay a subsidy caused acute financial problems. “We are now in the high season, but the board foresaw the bills in the fall and winter. Then it is wise to stop.” It is a debt of a few tons.
The bankruptcy of the Veenpark has arrived hard in Barger-Compascuum. Willie Berends, chairman of Local Interest calls the news very disappointing. It lives within the village, he says. “The park has been in the survival position for years, but there was hope for the future due to the prospect of a museum status.”
That status might have meant a new chapter for the Veenpark. But just before that status came, the park went down. A blow to the village. Berends: “That came in cold for a while.”
The chairman emphasizes the close bond between the village and the Veenpark. “If you say Barger-Compascuum, you actually say Veenpark. Many of the staff come from the village, local youth often find a side job. And during theme days, villagers often also lend a hand with it.”
It is about 35 employees and can continue to work in the coming weeks. “All leave have been withdrawn,” says the curator. “They remain employed until approximately October 1 and their salary is paid by the UWV.”
“I am going hard for a restart, because the Veenpark is part of the culture of Drenthe. It would be a shame to throw everything overboard,” Pol continues. Among other things, he will talk to the municipality of Emmen about how they see the future of the park. “After that I hope to have a takeover within four weeks. Such a process should not take too long. The staff must also have clarity.”
Berends saw that strong connection between the village and the Veenpark in recent years, Berends saw. “There seems to have been a generation gap. Young people are looking for a different kind of entertainment, and the park is now a bit more on its own than before.”
Nevertheless, the chairman of Local Interest remains hopeful. He praises the educational developments of the park, which, according to him, increasingly responded to the younger generation. “It tells the story of our peat past. That remains of great importance.” Berends expresses the hope that the Veenpark will have a future. “I can’t imagine it stops. Park and village belong together.”
The volunteers who restore the impoverished mill De Berk in the park also respond disappointed. Because the mill is almost ready, but not all bills have been paid yet. Molenaar Klaas Renting, one of the volunteers involved, says that an amount of 19,000 euros is still open to the mill maker, money that would originally be paid by the Veenpark.
The volunteers have now made a financial arrangement with that mill maker on their own initiative to complete the restoration. The question is whether that bill is still paid by the Veenpark. “We couldn’t do anything else,” said Renting. “After three years of work you don’t just let something like that be lost.”
The collaboration with the park was experienced as pleasant and the news arrives as a blow. Renting speaks of a painful moment, but remains hopeful: “The mill belongs in the Veenpark. One and one is more than two. As far as we are concerned, he will also stay there, whoever gets the lead in the future. We said that we would reduce the mill. And we do that. Point.”