The century-old, Tudor-style structure at the foot of Greenleigh Court is a legacy of the borough's heyday as an upper-crust suburb of Camden and Philadelphia.
Schmidt, the live-in caretaker, worries that her job will vanish if a merger occurs. She also wonders whether quintessentially suburban Cherry Hill will "keep the historical values" of Merchantville, whose walkable downtown is the antithesis of the commercial sprawl along Routes 70 and 38.
Chaired by Cherry Hill's Roger Dennis and vice-chaired by Merchantville's Richard James, the 10-member commission is hiring a consultant to figure out whether a merger makes fiscal and operational sense.
At least three commissioners from each town must vote yes by next August to place the question on next November's ballot in both communities.
At this point, there's as much skepticism about consolidation as momentum behind it, particularly in Merchantville.
Consider the borough website, where consolidation news appears under a graphic that splices the two towns' logos in a way that seems to suggest mash-up, rather than merger.
The site describes the commission as led by Cherry Hill officials and borough citizens "acting outside of Merchantville's elected government."
And while the "Merchantville Study for Consolidation" page on Facebook is an online headquarters for merger fans, a separate citizens' forum on Blogspot includes posts like one that predicts/hopes consolidation will "die a slow death."
"I really would hate to see Merchantville lose its identity," says Mike Rhea, 52, a meat cutter who grew up in the borough and now lives in . . . Cherry Hill.
He's having lunch with his son - a Paul VI freshman named Connor - at the Merchantville Diner. This cozy Centre Street eatery makes Cherry Hill's diners look rather like casinos.
