Future of Oxford Town Hall in Question
A report provided to town council raises expensive questions about where Oxford can gather or provide services to residents.
The effective closure of the Oxford Lions Club, following the devastating sinkhole, led town council to review its options with existing community owned buildings.
A report, presented this week to town council by Peter Smith of Eagle Project Management, suggests the community has its back to the wall.
Smith surveyed the current state of three community owned buildings: the town hall; the Oxford Pioneer Heritage Club at 31 Ellis Street; and the Knights of Pythias Hall at 26 Water Street.
The report suggests the Knights of Pythias Hall, former home to the library, is not fit for habitation and should simply be condemned.
The Oxford Pioneer Heritage Club, which was thought to be in bad shape, seems to be worth fixing to gain a few more years of service to the community.
However, the old town hall, which is “fixable” may not be worth the price.
The town’s Chief Administrative Officer worries that a projected million dollar price tag may be too much for the town and a different kind of cooperative approach might be more appropriate.
Rachel Jones told Six Rivers Radio yesterday that all of the short-comings and code or structural needs in the town hall could be met, but at a million dollars it is not likely a project the town can undertake.
The building has numerous deficiencies ranging from needed upgrades to major structural concerns and adherence to current building codes. Individually, all are doable but the overall estimated price tag is likely beyond the town’s capacity.
Jones says the town undertook the evaluation following the closure of the Lions Club community facility, the library’s abandonment of the Knights of Pythias building, and concern over the status of the Oxford Pioneers building.
Residents began asking whether a new, community oriented building, might be the solution. Jones feels there may be merit in a cooperative approach, but said the Lions Club would be key and they have not yet determined if the service club has a path to the future.
All of this is speculation discussed Monday evening in a conference call as part of the town’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
Decisions on where to go next are not likely to come quickly. Council will continue to review that matter at its regular meeting in two weeks, a meeting that will be online as the restriction on in-person meetings will no doubt still be in effect as part of the State of Emergency that imposed Public Health measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
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