ASHLEY — The first Oxford Township Board of Trustees meeting of the year included a discussion about the old township hall at 112 W. High St.
Resident Paul Etheridge “wanted to see if the building could be used for a non-profit facility for the community,” said minutes from the organizational/regular meeting, which took place on Jan. 10.
Etheridge “feels it would be a great place for kids to hang out after school, have community meetings and functions there. He stated there was really nothing on that side of town for the community. He was unsure of the long-term plan for the building by the township, its functionality and any renovation that might be needed. Trustees asked if he was wanting to purchase the building and if not, did he have a plan for the cost of renovation. Paul stated he is unsure of purchasing the building but thought possibly doing a lease would work out better. He wants to send a questionnaire to all the residents in the village to get their feedback on the usage of the building and to see if enough are interested. The building would have to be brought up to code before it can be used, and the trustees stated they would want to get an estimate on the cost before moving forward. Paul stated he has not seen the inside of the building.”
The trustees then set up a tour of the facility for Etheridge and also approved mowing the lawn of the old township hall for the season.
Also during the meeting, Steve Lewis was named trustee chair, James Hatten was named vice chair, and Craig Pittman was the past chair. Scott Lucas (Zoning Commission) and Andy Wuertz (Zoning Appeals Board) were appointed to five-year terms; Wornstaff Memorial Public Library Director Amee Sword received permission to have Central Ohio Rocketry launch rockets in the Oxford Township Park; and Jodi Schaub was hired to coordinate township hall rentals. The trustees agreed to meet at 8 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at Oxford Township Hall, 5125 Shoemaker Road, Ashley.
The next trustees meeting was Feb. 14, and Etheridge provided an update via email.
“He stated he was available a couple weekends a month to work on cleaning up the building,” the minutes said. “Trustees discussed the involvement of bringing the building up to code along with insurance liability. The trustees would like to get more information regarding the building before making any final decisions on its usage. Hatten will contact Paul with the update.”
During the February meeting, a new heavy duty plow truck was purchased for $183,326, with $126,203,09 paid from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and $57,122.91 paid from the township’s Gas Tax Fund. This was superseded at the March 14 meeting when it was determined a lower cost could be had if the equipment package was purchased separately.
Also in Oxford Township, Steamtown Road between Whipple and Shoemaker roads was closed for a bridge replacement in March. The Delaware County Engineer’s Office has since extended the closure until June 2. Oxford has 19.58 miles of public roads.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
