Village center Eexterveen is open again after extensive renovation. It was often so busy that the kitchen couldn’t handle it, so customers sometimes stayed away. Residents jointly decided to take over the village hall from the municipality and after that they literally rolled up their sleeves.
Since 2017, volunteers have put their shoulders to the wheel to renew the village hall. Last night they were put in the spotlight with a hot and cold buffet and a drink in the new restaurant in the village center, ‘t Klein pleasure.
The kitchen has also been renovated, as has the village hall. There is also a cafe in the building: d’Aol Stee. “That is where a cafe used to be. Hence the name,” says chairman Jan Roelof Vos of Vereniging Dorpsbelangen Eexterveen. “That cafe burned down about 37 years ago.”
The village center has also been expanded with a terrace and a beer bar in the garden. According to Vos, the renewal was necessary. Not only for the village center itself, but also for the village of Eexterveen. The village hall has been in the hands of the residents of Eexterveen for several years now. They have it run professionally by an entrepreneur.
The village center has been fully open again for two weeks, says Vos. The volunteers could immediately take advantage of that last night. “There were ninety volunteers. Everyone who helped, whether it was one morning or a hundred hours, was there. Former alderman Henk Heijerman also came by to have a chat and the new alderman Ivo Berghuis was there to get acquainted. “
Everyone is happy with the end result. Vos: “I didn’t see a grumpy face. It was a lot of fun. We can move forward with this for a long time.”