OXFORD — With the cost to repair or repave sections of Whittemore, Number Six and Pottle roads this year set to exceed $800,000, Oxford selectmen may have to revisit the urgency of other priority projects on the town’s capital improvements list.

Repairing Whittemore and Number Six Roads has been a moving target going back several years. Estimates prior to the pandemic were in the the $500,000 range but were delayed due to scheduling issues as well as material and revenue shortages.

With town office headquarters relocating to Pottle Road last year, increased traffic there has made it necessary to do shim paving. The delays and additional work needed have resulted in the approved bid being $300,000 more than originally anticipated.

Other roads, namely Station and East Oxford, remain high on the priority list. So, too, do needs like updating fire and safety gear equipment, body and vehicle cams for the police department, replacing windows at Oxford’s Public Safety Building and replacing equipment at the Transfer Station. Selectmen also recently discussed paving the parking lot at the Station House Community Center but with the estimate for that near $100,000, they have tabled that proposal and are looking at cheaper solutions to improve parking.

In other business, selectmen voted to accept a $492,201 return from the Oxford County Assessor’s office. Town Manager Adam noted that this year’s return is $18,445 more than last. They also approved a bid from Realterm Energy for additional lighting to be installed over the town office’s parking lot, and approved budget warrants for Maine School Administrative District 17’s and Voc Region 11 Oxford Hills Tech’s 2023-24 budgets.

Selectmen and Garland also discussed ways to incentivize more customers to sign up for the town’s public sewer system.

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