OXFORD — Recreation Director Kayla Laird told Oxford selectmen Thursday night that 52 children have registered for the summer recreation program since she began advertising less than a month ago.
She said she expects registrations will reach 100.
Forty-three of the 52 are from Oxford; the rest are nonresidents.
The price for the eight-week day camp is $75 a week for residents and $150 for nonresidents. If certified instructors can be hired, swimming lessons will be held at Pismo Beach on Thompson Lake for an additional fee.
Laird said she is working on a schedule that includes field trips, activities and special events. Day trips to Funtown Splashtown USA in Scarborough and Story Land in Glen, New Hampshire, have been confirmed and she expects to announce a trip to a coastal Maine state park in the near future.
Ceramics, painting and tie-dyeing classes are among the activities. Laird also said one day will focus on fire and police safety, with law enforcement and fire/rescue officers attending to demonstrate equipment and educate children about staying safe.
Programming will be split between Pismo Beach, the Station House Community Center on King Street, seasonal shelters and possibly the little-used Pottle Field ball fields on Pottle Road.
Pottle Field’s bathroom facilities are in poor shape and not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Selectmen rejected a 2021 bid for $98,757 in 2021 to build an updated facility in favor of renting a portable handicap accessible unit. With the Recreation Department considering regular use of the field, the board asked Town Manager Adam Garland to create a new request for proposals to gauge current prices and also discussed the need to clear trees to improve vehicle access.
June Mosher of Oxford attends Thursday’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen to hear a report on the number of cannabis businesses in town. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat
Board Chairwoman Sharon Jackson said she is concerned about more use of the Station House Community Center’s parking area. She said it’s muddy enough for cars to get stuck and people have to park in ways that pose a public safety hazard. She advised the board it should consider having it paved.In other business, selectmen confirmed that Whittemore and Number Six roads will be priority projects this year and instructed Garland to get updated pricing and scheduling from Pine Tree Paving of Norway.
In response to June Mosher’s request Jan. 5 to consider revising the town ordinance to limit the number of cannabis businesses, the board asked Garland provide a summary of the businesses, fee schedules and commercial tax revenues.
Garland’s report showed there are seven businesses open. One is a medicinal marijuana store, one is an adult recreational marijuana store. There are three cultivation facilities and one for medicinal marijuana, and one manufacturing facility.
Two medical stores and a cultivation facility went out of business last year.
The property valuation for the seven businesses is nearly $2.7 million. The total property taxes for all eight is $40,459.92 for 2022-23, and the total fees is $20,850.
Garland noted that all of the buildings in use have been updated and kept in good condition.
Mosher thanked the board for looking at the scale of cannabis businesses.
The former Oxford town office building at 85 Pleasant St. is set to be sold Friday, Town Manager Adam Garland said Thursday. Christopher Davis and Brian Landis, both of Oxford, bid $54,000 for the property under their business, 88 Bethel Road Holdings, according to town records. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat file
Garland also gave details of a tax-acquired property at 180 Tiger Hill Road the town recently sold for $78,277 to Daniel and Roberta O’Neill. The property was listed for $69,000 and the O’Neills’ offer was accepted by selectmen three days after it went on the market in December 2022.
Garland said the sale of the former town office building at 85 Pleasant St. is scheduled for Friday. On Jan. 5, selectmen approved the only bid, which was $54,000, from 88 Bethel Road Holdings. The owners are listed as Christopher J. Davis of 634 King St. in Oxford and Brian T. Landis of 132 Mechanic Falls Road in Oxford.
The building was put up for sale July 28, 2021.
Constructed about 1900, it served as Oxford’s school for decades. The town acquired it in 1998 and converted it to its municipal offices. For years it has been plagued by basement flooding, moisture and mold issues, as well as structural deterioration.
In September 2022, the town moved its offices to a one-story building at 127 Pottle Road, purchased for $750,000 from Stephens Memorial Hospital.
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