Oxford City Council approved resolutions for various construction projects and purchasing new equipment, as well as said goodbye to two city council members during its meeting on Nov. 19.
Oxford prepares for construction
The city council approved three resolutions regarding construction.
Road maintenance will occur on recently-annexed streets by the City of Oxford: Riggs Road, Brookville Road, Fairfield Road and Contreras Road.
A resolution to replace and upsize the High Street water main was approved. The section of the water main that will be updated runs from Elm Street to College Avenue and will distribute clean water to Oxford buildings.
Chad Smith, director of Oxford Parks and Recreation, presented a resolution to construct a new playground at the Oxford Community Park. The park is intended for ages 2 to 5 and will replace a playground that is now more than 20 years old. The design was chosen from four proposals and will be funded by a community development block grant.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
The replacement will bring the playground up to the standard with the rest of the park.
“This will pair nicely with the larger playground that was replaced a couple of years ago,” Smith said.
Parks and Recreation department prepares to purchase field marking robot
Smith also presented a resolution to purchase a TLM Pro X Razor athletic field marking robot. The robot would be used to mark athletic fields for sporting events, but it can also be used for other applications, such as marking parking spaces. The robot will cost $39,595 and will take three years to pay off.
The device was originally planned to be funded through a grant that is no longer available.
“We stayed with the company and they have offered [Oxford] to purchase [the robot] outright with a considerable discount, from $56,000 to $39,000,” Smith said.
Oxford to apply for event safety grant
Jessica Greene, assistant city manager, presented a resolution to apply for a grant for the purchase of event safety equipment. If awarded, the grant would provide $353,000 for the purchase of portable safety barricades and handheld and walk-through metal detectors.
She said the barricades would be used for large events that close one or more streets and would protect event-goers from out-of-control cars.
“We did research on what cities were doing, and we found that vehicle stop barricades are widely used,” Smith said. “Together, these tools will improve event safety.”
City council parts ways with two members
The meeting concluded with council members thanking Vice Mayor Chantel Raghu and council member David Prytherch for their service to the City of Oxford as their terms expire.
Both Raghu and Prytherch thanked the council and the Oxford community for the opportunity to serve the city.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be part of the City of Oxford,” Prytherch said. [City council] is just one form of service, and I look forward to contributing [in other ways].”
Raghu and Prytherch will be succeeded by new council members James Vinch and Roxanne Ornelas.
City council will meet again on Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Oxford Courthouse.
Read More
University Senate begins renovations by approving new Enabling Act in the wake of Ohio Senate Bill 1
By Evelyn Dugan | 1 hours agoFollowing a public hearing on Nov. 3 and a semester of sessions discussing how to adapt to Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1), the Miami University Senate officially approved a new Enabling Act created by the ad hoc committee. The Enabling Act revisions will go before the Board of Trustees at their next meeting in December.
ROTC and the government shutdown: Training continues on campus
By Maddie Kaltenmark and Parker Green | 6 hours agoMany government-run organizations faced the threat of funding issues, and the military was no exception. While general troops were paid during the shutdown, there were fears that a long period of government closure could result in future missed payments and suspension of ROTC scholarships or stipends.
Several break-ins plague Oxford
By Austin Smith | YesterdayBetween Nov. 10 and Nov. 17, police officers responded to 16 different incidents, according to the Oxford Police Department report.