A quick glance might make you think the old one-room schoolhouse had been resurrected.

That's because the new South Dorchester Community Hall, officially opened Sunday, had its fascia replicate the look of the former schoolhouse that stood on the property generations ago.

The new hall not only serves as a community gathering place but also as the upgraded home for the Malahide Fire Department's No. 4 Lyons district station.
"This is a happy time for us," said Conservative Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston.

The hall was a partnership of the federal government, province of Ontario and Township of Malahide.
"Levels of government historically don't always work well together," Steve Peters Liberal MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London noted.
"We have been able to see that happen in this county. We have been able to put our differences aside."

Malahide Fire Chief Paul Groeneveld said it was 1979 when South Dorchester organized the first volunteer fire department within the original building.
Previously a one-room schoolhouse, South Dorchester purchased the property from the school board and converted it to a small community hall before the fire department located there.

South Dorchester became part of Malahide in 1998 following amalgamation.
Groeneveld said since the firefighters moved into the building, their role has expanded to include medical calls, accidents and rescues.
“Along with this came the need for more space," Groeneveld said.

The chief also used the occasion to kick off Fire Prevention Week.

"The odds of you having a fire in your home are 1 in 10," Groeneveld said. "Having a smoke alarm in your home raises your chance of survival by 63%."
Malahide Mayor John Wilson, a member of the volunteer fire department in 1979, said the new facility was designed "for our children and our grandchildren. We don't realize there are 100 homes at the top of the hill," he added, referring to homes just south of the site.
The building will also be available as a shelter in emergencies.

It was the second community hall opened in Malahide this year. Springfield hosts a new community hall, library and playing field complex at the site of the former Lions Club hall.