By LILLIAN GLAROS
PHOTO CREDIT Giuseppe LoPiccolo
The College Park Moose Family Center Lodge #453 on Metzerott Road is preparing to relocate after 75 years but is struggling to find a new location, according to a lodge official.
The organization sold its building four years ago to Iglesia de Dios Pentecostés, Misión el Buen Samaritano, a church, and has been renting part of the building since, Debbie Herbert, the president of the lodge, said.
In December, that church, after filing for bankruptcy, resold the property to Mekane Hiwot Medhane Alem Tigray Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Herbert said income from membership functions was not enough to cover the lodge’s expenses, leading to the initial sale.
According to Herbert, the lodge attempted to buy the property back, but was unable to afford the selling price. State tax records show that the first church bought the property for $4.475 million in 2020 and sold it in December for $5.4 million.
“I hate it because we wanted to get back our building,” Herbert said.
The lodge’s lease expires on June 30, but Herbert said lodge officials are hoping to extend it while they search for a new property in the city.
According to Herbert, it has been difficult to find a new site. Available buildings are either too small or don’t have enough parking spots to accommodate lodge events, she said.
“We are saddened that we have to find another place, and it’s a shame that we can’t find anything in College Park,” Herbert said.
Robert Lucian, the junior past president of the lodge, said he feels “terrible” about the impending move.
Lucian, who has been a member for 30 years, said the lodge is a place of relaxation where families can get together.
He said he’s upset that the community might potentially lose the lodge, and has appealed to the College Park City Council to help the group find a new location.
City Councilmember Denise Mitchell (District 4), said the lodge has been working with the city to find a new location. The lodge’s property abuts College Park’s District 4.
Lucian said the lodge means a lot to him. He and his wife go there often to socialize, and his children often went to the lodge for dances and other activities while growing up, he said.
“I’m hoping that sometime very soon, we will find a place to go to and reorganize and keep our members having a place to go to,” Lucian said, adding, “Moose is a fraternal organization that is dedicated to community service, and I feel bad that we have come to this position.”
Part of a national network, the College Park lodge has more than 400 members, holds events such as shotgun bingo, and donates to food drives and other charitable causes.
