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Resident urges Caroline County to help preserve Meridale (Bridal) Community Hall now listed for sale
Summary
A Meridale resident told commissioners the historic Bridal/Marydale Community Hall — once a school and later a community hub — was transferred to a volunteer fire company for $1 and is now listed for $250,000; she asked the county for records, letters of support and help exploring nonprofit or town ownership to keep the building available for community services.
During public comment on May 19, Joanna Reedy, speaking as a concerned citizen and member of the Bridal Lions Club, urged Caroline County commissioners to help preserve the historic Marydale/Bridal Community Hall, which she said was originally a 1912 school and later served for decades as a community hall.
Reedy said the property was transferred to the Meridale Volunteer Fire Company for $1 with an expectation the building would remain a community resource, but the new volunteer fire‑company administration is preparing the building for sale with an asking price of $250,000. "They had not heard that there were nonprofit community organizations interested in the future of the community hall," Reedy told the board, and she said roughly $30,000 has already been invested in repairs that uncovered extensive structural issues.
Reedy said the town is uniquely sited on the Maryland‑Delaware line and that the hall is the only location on the Maryland side where Maryland‑based organizations can provide direct services; she said Maryland agencies cannot unilaterally provide state resources on property that lies in Delaware. She reported outreach to state legislative offices; staff from Senator Hershey’s office told her county or the historical society would need to initiate preservation steps and that the senator’s office could provide letters of support and potential funding assistance.
Commissioners and county staff asked for details about deed language and closing documents; staff said they would search county land records to confirm ownership and any reversionary language. Commissioners agreed to provide letters of support for nonprofit grant applications and suggested the community consider town‑level ownership or partnering with the historical society and local nonprofit groups. Reedy said the fire company is under a realtor contract and, if the property does not sell, the company indicated it would revisit potential nonprofit or community options.
Reedy urged the board to help identify funding pathways and local partners so the building can continue hosting services such as mobile health vans, a food pantry, and other community programming.
