Oxford County to name new facility after former Administrator Donald Durrah

Oxford County Regional Communications Center Director Donald Durrah sits at his desk at the center in Paris in 2019. He was named Oxford County administrator in 2021. County commissioners will name the new public safety building in honor of Durrah, who died unexpectedly at his home in Otisfield on Nov. 1, 2023, at the age of 50. Sun Journal file photo

PARIS — The Oxford County commissioners plan to name the new public safety building after former county Administrator Donald Durrah.

Durrah, 50, died unexpectedly at his home in Otisfield on Nov. 1, 2023.

The facility, which will be built on Western Avenue next to Oxford County Superior Court, will be named the Donald L. Durrah Public Safety Building. It will house the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, the Oxford County Regional Communications Center and the Oxford County Emergency Management Agency.

“His dedication to public safety, working as a dispatcher, was legendary,” Commissioner Timothy Turner of Buckfield said.

“He was a superstar,” Commissioner Steven Merrill of Norway added.

A graduate of Gray-New Gloucester High School in Gray, Durrah worked in county government for most of his adult life. He served as the 911 supervisor for Cumberland County for nearly 20 years. He began his professional career in Gray as a firefighter in 1991.

He initially came to Oxford County in June 2019 to head up the Oxford County Regional Communications Center. Durrah was named county administrator July 25, 2021, after serving six months as the interim administrator.

Known as “Donnie” throughout the county complex, he was praised by commissioners and staff for his positive attitude and his ability to inspire those who worked for the county. His death stunned county employees.

Commission Chairman David Duguay of Byron said Durrah laid out the plans for the new facility.

“He was an integral part of the project,” Turner said. “He knew what was needed, what was required. He worked very closely with the architect to lay out the building’s design.”

“He was highly thought of by everyone in the state in the first-responder business,” Merrill said.

The Sheriff’s Office and EMA will be on the first floor, while dispatch will be on the second floor, Duguay said. The project will be paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funds and a bond. The cost of the new facility has not been finalized, commissioners said.

County officials expect the new facility to open in 2026.