OXFORD — Selectmen appointed an interim director to the SAD 17 board of directors Thursday night to replace Colin O’Neill, who resigned in October because of his out-of-state job.

Stacia Cordwell was sworn in at the board meeting. Her appointment will run until the next municipal election. The board thanked her for volunteering, and the 30 or so people in the room applauded her.

After public hearings for junkyard permits for Oxford Auto Salvage Inc. on East Oxford Road and Ayottes Junkyard on Tiger Hill Road, the board approved permits for both, with a condition that Ayottes come to the Town Office to complete its application.

Selectmen also approved a catering permit for Western Maine Gourmet Services at the American Legion on the same night as the selectmen meeting.

Town Manager Michael Chammings said catering applications that don’t require a public hearing often come to the Town Office for approval at the last minute. He said sometimes people do not realize they need a permit until it would be too late to bring the application to the board in time for their planned event. He asked the board for permission to sign such requests, and the board agreed.

The board also approved several bids for projects. Bill Frye was awarded the contract to complete repairs and upgrades to the transfer station facility for $16,483.87. He was the only bidder.

Mark Bosse was the only bidder to install approximately 1,320 feet of flooring at the Public Safety Building. Selectmen awarded him the contract for $9,538.80.

“We have to ask people to come in to bid because everyone is right out straight,” Chammings said. “There’s a lack of skilled labor in Maine and everyone has ads out to hire people.”

Three contractors, however, bid on a fencing project at the Pismo Beach ball park facility. Selectmen accepted a bid from Double T Fence for $11,900, even though it was slightly higher than the other two bids. That’s because, Chammings said, the town has a policy to support local bidders if the amount of the bid is within 5 percent of the lowest bid. The Double T Fence bid was less than one half percent more than the others, according to Chammings.

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