OXFORD – Fifteen flood gates will be installed at the Oxford Middle School later this year to help keep rising waters from causing further damage to the historic structure. According to the district’s architect, as many as 22 additional gates will be needed to provide more complete protection to the building.

At the board of education meeting on July 13, the school board awarded the $141,900 contract for installation of the initial 15 gates to J.N. Giammarino Construction, Inc. of Binghamton. According to Jason Jantzi, an architect with the Bernier Carr Group, the work will begin in late summer or early fall.

Flood gates provide a physical barrier to prevent water from entering a structure. “A permanent frame will be mounted to the building,” Jantzi explained, over all openings including doors, windows and mechanical openings. If and when flood waters rise, the gates themselves will be inserted into the frame and fastened into place, he said.