Demolition of Oxford building slated for next week
OXFORD – The Village of Oxford may be only days away from the demolition of a longtime eyesore in the middle of town.
During the regular meeting of the Oxford Board of Trustees held in September, the village board approved demolition of the property located at 2-4 South Canal Street – just south of the Oxford Town and Village Hall – to Burrell’s Excavating, Inc. of Norwich in the amount of $26,000. The blighted property, commonly referred to by local officials as the “Sullivan Building,” had undergone tax foreclosure and was turned over to the village by the Chenango County government in May.
Because the building contains high amounts of asbestos, two separate haulers were also appointed by the village board. The first hauler, Riccelli Trucking of Syracuse, will remove asbestos contaminated material. The second, likely to be the Town of Oxford, will haul infill of gravel to the wrecking site.
Total cost of the project, including acquisition, demolition, air monitoring and hauling, is estimated to top $54,000.
Demolition of the building is currently slated as early as next week, according to Oxford Mayor Terry Stark.
“This building has been an eyesore, an unattractive nuisance, for almost ten years,” Stark said, explaining that the property had been purchased by a private developer but proved too costly to rehabilitate and return to the local tax roll. “In recent years, we have had some problems with the building. Now, we have a good idea of how to develop that property for the future of Oxford.”
Once the building is razed, the village hopes to move on to future downtown development projects. Ideas have been in the works for the past two years, said Stark, and include a number of possibilities.
“Some of the businesses downtown want to utilize that area for parking,” he said, noting that a combination the soon to be empty lot with the adjacent municipal lot would provide ample parking for several downtown businesses.
The village has also received proposals of turning the lot into a community park, complete with a playground and possibly a performance stage in the center of the village. The proposal stemmed from a group of 12 seniors at Oxford Academy who assisted the village in development plans over the summer.
What’s more, demolition of the building will expose the south side of the Oxford Town and Village Hall which in turn will allow easier access for the installation of an elevator in the future.
“We would like to utilize the third floor of (Village Hall) and the best way to do that is to install an elevator,” said Stark.
“There are so many good ideas out there,” he added, “but at the end of the day, all those ideas require the first step of getting rid of the Sullivan Building.”
The village board is currently open to input and development ideas from Oxford residents. Recommendations will be included as part of the village’s continuing comprehensive planning process. The board will hear recommendations during the next town and village joint planning meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Oct. 15, at the Oxford American Legion located at 17 S. Washington Ave.
During the regular meeting of the Oxford Board of Trustees held in September, the village board approved demolition of the property located at 2-4 South Canal Street – just south of the Oxford Town and Village Hall – to Burrell’s Excavating, Inc. of Norwich in the amount of $26,000. The blighted property, commonly referred to by local officials as the “Sullivan Building,” had undergone tax foreclosure and was turned over to the village by the Chenango County government in May.
Because the building contains high amounts of asbestos, two separate haulers were also appointed by the village board. The first hauler, Riccelli Trucking of Syracuse, will remove asbestos contaminated material. The second, likely to be the Town of Oxford, will haul infill of gravel to the wrecking site.
Total cost of the project, including acquisition, demolition, air monitoring and hauling, is estimated to top $54,000.
Demolition of the building is currently slated as early as next week, according to Oxford Mayor Terry Stark.
“This building has been an eyesore, an unattractive nuisance, for almost ten years,” Stark said, explaining that the property had been purchased by a private developer but proved too costly to rehabilitate and return to the local tax roll. “In recent years, we have had some problems with the building. Now, we have a good idea of how to develop that property for the future of Oxford.”
Once the building is razed, the village hopes to move on to future downtown development projects. Ideas have been in the works for the past two years, said Stark, and include a number of possibilities.
“Some of the businesses downtown want to utilize that area for parking,” he said, noting that a combination the soon to be empty lot with the adjacent municipal lot would provide ample parking for several downtown businesses.
The village has also received proposals of turning the lot into a community park, complete with a playground and possibly a performance stage in the center of the village. The proposal stemmed from a group of 12 seniors at Oxford Academy who assisted the village in development plans over the summer.
What’s more, demolition of the building will expose the south side of the Oxford Town and Village Hall which in turn will allow easier access for the installation of an elevator in the future.
“We would like to utilize the third floor of (Village Hall) and the best way to do that is to install an elevator,” said Stark.
“There are so many good ideas out there,” he added, “but at the end of the day, all those ideas require the first step of getting rid of the Sullivan Building.”
The village board is currently open to input and development ideas from Oxford residents. Recommendations will be included as part of the village’s continuing comprehensive planning process. The board will hear recommendations during the next town and village joint planning meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Oct. 15, at the Oxford American Legion located at 17 S. Washington Ave.
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