Oxford Aviation cleanup continues; building's future uncertain

PARIS – An airplane left behind after the eviction of Oxford Aviation from Oxford County Regional Airport last month is expected to be retrieved Monday by a pilot and her mechanic, county administrator Scott Cole said Thursday.

The plane is one of many items being held in the secured facility at Number Six Road following the April 1 notice of eviction against Jim Horowitz of Casco, owner of Oxford Aviation, by the Oxford County commissioners.

Cole said a female pilot from California is expected to be in Oxford on Monday with her mechanic to check the airplane over and fly it out of the facility. He said she must first sign a statement indemnifying the county.

Oxford Aviation was served a two-day notice of eviction on April 1 after 25 years of leasing the building from the county. The writ of possession was the culmination of a six-month legal battle between the company and commissioners. The writ gave Horowitz 48 hours to remove the company possessions and vacate the 40,000-square-foot facility.

In addition to the plane, thousands of gallons of chemical compounds and paint used in the aircraft refinishing business were left before the facility’s doors were locked shut by the county.

Cole said the chemical compounds in 55-gallon drums and paints have been inventoried and stabilized, but must be removed from the site.

“There is no threat but it all has to go,” said Cole Thursday.

Cole said the Department of Environmental Protection had been in contact with Horowitz over the past several months and will have to be involved in this cleanup. Early cost estimates are between $50,000 and $100,000, he said previously.

A special meeting to update commissioners Thursday was canceled because of attendance issues, he said.

Cole said 80 creditors are listed in the court documents, each laying a claim to a part of Oxford Aviation.

“We’re still sorting through the claims,” he said. “Ultimately there will be some sort of auction held by the creditor.”

Cole said the county has reserved the right to file a claim against Oxford Aviation but has not done so yet.

While the airport runway is still open, aviators have not been able to fuel up at the facility, he said. Oxford Aviation held the fuel system as part of the lease with the company.

“That was one of the lease violations. He wasn’t offering fuel,” he said. “This is a relatively easy one to cure.”

Cole said the commissioners are dealing with a number of issues at the facility, including several roof leaks, a hangar door that needs servicing and damage due to frozen pipes.

The future of the building remains unclear.

“We don’t have a direction on that yet. We’re not in a position to set a course until we get these issues resolved,” he said.

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