POCOMOKE CITY, Md. -- Many Pocomoke City officials want to demolish the old armory building, creating a clean slate for the downtown property. The city's mayor, however, wants to see if the state can save the historic site.
"If those walls could talk, they would be able to tell you the story of not just me, but of Pocomoke City and a lot of residents that it served," said Mayor Todd Nock.
Nock has fond memories of the old armory, which at one point was a police station, a youth center and a thrift store. It's been 14 years since the building was last occupied, though, and since 2010, it's fallen into disrepair.
"Ultimately, we all have to acknowledge that that building cannot stand too much longer without, i.e., it coming down or major renovations happening very fast," said Nock.
The armory, once owned by the state of Maryland, had a reverter clause attached. The clause stated that if the public ever stopped using the armory, the state would regain ownership.
In September 2023, Pocomoke started working to get the reverter clause lifted, eventually seeing the hard work come to fruition this month. This decision gave Pocomoke officials the power to decide the fate of the armory, and one month ago, leaders opened up the bidding process for demolition.
But now, Nock believes other avenues could be explored.
"We cannot continue to sit around and wait on some 'maybes' from the state of Maryland, but I do believe that I would like them to come down and take a look at the building and tell us 'hey, can you help us, what services can you offer us,'" said Nock.
If the state deems the building salvageable, Nock said Pocomoke cannot afford to fund the renovation alone. In 2012, the city got an estimate for renovation around $1 million, which Nock told WBOC has surely risen in the past decade.
The city would need help from the state, so demolition may, in fact, be the best and most logical decision. Whatever happens, though, neighbors want the property to serve the community.
"I've been here for four years, and it's still that same beat of that drum, 'we need a rec center, we need a rec center,'" said Richard Lee-Hutt. "So, that's what I think it should be."
Nock said the city council will make a final decision at their meeting on January 6th.
