Oxford County commissioners plan to survey forested land behind the new pillared addition to the Superior Court building on Western Avenue in Paris, shown at center in an architectural drawing. The county parcel is being considered for a building to house the county Emergency Management Agency, which is the basement of the old section of the Superior Court building at left, the Sheriff’s Office, which is in the jail building partially pictured at right, and the Regional Communications Center, which is in a small building, not shown, to the right of the jail. John Gutwin/Pepperchrome

PARIS — The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, the Regional Communications Center and the Oxford Emergency Management Agency could share space in a new building behind the new addition to the Superior Court building, according to a plan being developed by county officials.

County commissioners took the first steps Wednesday by agreeing to have the property surveyed and to harvest some of the timber on the proposed site.

The Communications Center is bursting at the seams in its current home in a small building adjacent to former District Court building in the county complex on Western Avenue in Paris. To meet the needs of the county, the center needs to add two consoles, which will not fit in the current room where the other consoles are located.

“I can’t expand in our current footprint,” Communications Director Donald Durrah said.

The idea is to have the Communications Center, the Sheriff’s Office office and EMA  — the three agencies that must work together during an emergency or crisis — work together under the same roof. They would share conference rooms, bathrooms, locker rooms and kitchen.

The Sheriff’s Office is on the first floor of the jail building, while EMA offices are in the basement of the old section of the Superior Court building.

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Durrah presented three options to the commissioners for consideration — renovating space in the former District Court building, leasing a property off site or building a facility.

The one-story former courthouse lacks enough space to group the agencies together. Utilizing the existing structures would prove problematic since the Communications Center could not expand to add the two consoles in the room with the other consoles.

Durrah said he has looked at a few properties for lease, but he said any such move and paying a lease would prove expensive in the long run.

A new building would allow the county to design one to fit its needs and serve as a long-term solution for the next 40 to 50 years.

County land behind the new addition to the Superior Court building appears large enough to house such a structure along with added parking.

“We’re looking to build a building to keep us all together,” Durrah said. “The question is where will we build it.”

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Sheriff Christopher Wainwright said locating the agencies together makes sense.

“I think the smart move is here, building it out back,” he said.

Bonding the project would be required for the county to pay for the new facility, county Treasurer Beth Calhoun.

County officials added that Oxford County has the fourth lowest county tax rate in Maine. Of the state’s 16 counties, only Hancock, York and Cumberland have a lower rate than Oxford, and York and Cumberland are the two largest counties in terms of population.

Commissioners appeared to favor building a structure behind the new courthouse addition.

“From Day 1, I have felt that was the way to go,” Commissioner Steven Merrill of Norway said. “Having everyone in one consolidated building makes sense. What we need is a realistic budget.

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“We need to have all the details worked out,” he added.

Chairman Timothy Turner of Buckfield said he has always been leaning to a new building.

“We’ll have to look at the numbers and see if we can make it work,” Turner said.

Commissioners agreed that harvesting some of the timber on the property would be a good first step and could generate some revenue for the county. Merrill said he would look into finding someone to survey the property.

In other business, commissioners authorized hiring Daniel Carrier and Robert Ryder as full-time deputies and Rosemarie Burns as a full-time corrections officer.

Quentin Tardiff of Otisfield was hired as the county’s systems administrator, beginning Nov. 1, at $28.10 per hour on a 43-hour workweek.


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