Oxford Village officials discussed the possibility of moving the municipal office from one part of their W. Burdick St. building to another during a work session meeting held Sept. 26.

They are considering taking over the office space that had been leased by the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Department from 2002 until early August.

“We see a huge benefit to the staff and the organization coming on this side,” said Interim Manager Evan Teich.

Moving would give village staff more space, so “we won’t be on top of each other” anymore and it would enable the municipality to “present a much better” appearance to the public, according to Teich.

“I would like people to come in and recognize that they are in a professional operation,” said Councilman Erik Dolan.

Dolan cited the Oxford Township Hall at 300 Dunlap Rd. as an example.

“When you walk in, you recognize that you’re in a professional operation,” he said.

Like it or not, “perception is reality,” continued Dolan, and “when you walk in (the village office), you do not leave with a sense of professionalism.”

“It doesn’t matter how great your staff or your organization is, people leave with the perception that it is a shoddy operation,” he said.

Teich acknowledged there are things that need to be done to spruce up the village complex.

“We need a paint job. We need to clean our carpets. We need furniture from this century,” he said.

In order to move into the old parks and rec. space, it must be renovated to bring it into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“There are lot of safety concerns and accessibility concerns on this side of the building,” said Assistant Interim Manager Drew Benson.

Although the building is accessible via two wheelchair ramps, Teich said other improvements are needed such as constructing an ADA-compliant restroom, creating counter space that’s wheelchair-accessible and installing ADA-compliant door handles.

Benson suggested possibly spending some of the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds the village receives annually to help make the ADA improvements.

“That could be a wise use of our money,” he said.

Dolan suggested researching various sources of grant funding so the village can conduct a “substantial renovation” in order to “create a space people will be proud to work in.”

In order to save money, Teich indicated there might be village staff members willing to donate their painting services and there’s a possibility of obtaining used furniture from Michigan State University “for pennies on the dollar.”