By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

(April 9, 2026) After months on the market and a sometimes-contentious sales process, Snow Hill officials have finalized the sale of their downtown firehouse for $300,000.

The three-member Town Council voted unanimously last Tuesday night to approve a second reading of the ordinance facilitating the sale.

Deborah Wayland, of Eastern Shore Fine Events, made the offer on the 75-year-old Green Street property. She plans to convert the space into an events venue and will take on the cost of bringing the building up to code.

Wayland reportedly plans to use the space for small events and storage, and is also open to leasing space back to the town for events and storage purposes, according to realtor Clint Bickford, who addressed the issue at a previous town meeting.

The council initially approved the sale Feb. 11 in a 2-1 vote. Councilman Eddie Lee abstained from that vote, saying he couldn’t support what he felt was a below-market price.

Officials had previously tabled the decision after some disagreement over how to proceed.

At a Jan. 13 meeting, Councilwoman Margaret Ann Fletcher said she wanted the town to increase the list price to $375,000.

Realtor Bryan Coates, who handled the listing, told her that the offer in hand was strong and finding another buyer would be “very difficult.”

Councilman Aaron Lumpkins called the offer “the best value for the town.”

“I feel like a vote to sell it is a vote to save it. We don’t have the resources to bring it up to code. This person is willing to come in and do it to get their occupancy permit,” he said Jan. 13.

Snow Hill listed the former firehouse in June 2025 for $325,000 after determining it would be too expensive to bring it up to code.

The two-story complex, which the council deemed surplus in 2023, served for decades as home to Snow Hill’s volunteer fire company, which relocated outside of downtown in 2002. It also served as the town’s police headquarters for 20 years after that.

Town Manager Rick Pollitt has stated that community support for the sale of the building has been “overwhelming” and created a buzz for the downtown’s future growth.

Also Tuesday, the council approved the sale of surplus property at 301 Willow Street, which property records show has been municipally owned since 2002.

The buyer, Preston Reed, proposed to renovate and convert the 96-year-old residential property into three two-bedroom rental units.

Councilmembers also voted to renew Snow Hill’s 10-year designation as an arts and entertainment district.