Public hearing, town meeting set for treatment plant

OXFORD —  A special town meeting to vote on an amendment to the town's zoning ordinance and borrowing for a new sewage treatment plant is tentatively set for December 12.

Residents will also vote on a pawnbrokers, precious metal dealers and second-hand dealers ordinance at the meeting.

Selectmen, at their November 1 meeting, directed Town Manager Michael Chammings to begin preparing the warrant for a special town meeting.

A public hearing on the town meeting warrant is tentatively scheduled for November 20.

The town is considering constructing a sewage treatment facility and extending a municipal sewer across most of Oxford.

In a report published in April, engineering firm Woodard and Curran determined building a new facility was the best course for the town.

Last week, Chammings estimated the cost of the two-phase project at more than $20 million.

Around half the cost would be covered by funds designated to the project from the town's Tax Increment Financing district, Chammings said.

The remaining cost would be financed through low-interest loans and user fees, Chammings reported.

Representatives from Woodard and Curran would be present at the public hearing to answer questions and clarify the cost and scope of the treatment plant project. 

The public hearing is set for November 20. Chammings said it could be held at Oxford Elementary or the high school, depending on the number of people attending.

During the November 1 meeting, Chammings told the board that the town's zoning ordinance needed to be amended to permit construction of the treatment plant in its general growth district.

Residents will also vote on a pawnbrokers ordinance that will allow Oxford Police to keep track of stolen property that might be transferred through pawn and second-hand shops in the town.