By Don Rush

It’s yellow. It’s rusting. It’s metal and the roof needs repairing. It’s 50 years old and Oxford Village is looking to bring life back to the old Oxford Fire Hall.

“Last fall (the village) Council toured the building and they would like to see what it would take to bring it up to snuff,” said Village Manager Joe Madore. “They want to know what it will take to make it look nicer, fix and repair leaks and any of the rusted areas.”

Currently, the old fire hall, located behind the village offices and Oxford Village Police Department, 22 W. Burdick St., is used to house police vehicles, the Polly Ann Trail office, Oxford Open-Handed items and as storage for the Oxford Chamber of Commerce, Oxford Downtown Development Authority and the Friends of Oxford Public Library.

“It’s really a community asset,” Madore said.

According to former Oxford Police Chief and Oxford Fire Chief Jack LeRoy, that station was built in 1973, “After they had moved out of the old station downtown because of the theater fire. In the interim they were temporarily located in a vacated collision shop building where the parking lot is now behind the museum. They contracted out the actual building, which was a Varco Pruden manufactured steel building, purchased through local dealer Jerry Olrich who owned Oxford Lumber Company on E. Burdick St. They had company contractors build the building and then the firefighters finished out the interior meeting room and office areas themselves.”

He said the original building was 50-foot by 75 foot and later on the department added a 25 by 75 addition. The Oxford Fire Department moved to Station #1 on N. Washington St., in 2002.

Council has tasked Madore with finding out how much it will cost to paint, repair or replace some of the metal siding, inspect and repair the roof as needed. The renovation will be part of an overall plan to redo the village parking lot which has been in disrepair for some years. The parking lot has about 86 spots. “As long as the building is going to remain, we want to make sure it doesn’t fall into more disrepair,” he said.

Once he receives cost estimates for the building and the parking lot, he would like to give them to council for them to include in the next fiscal year’s budget, which begins July 1. “So, you won’t see anything done this year. The proposed plan now is to do the parking lot in three phases. If we get the design and engineering done by summer of fall and all goes well Phase 1 can start in 2024.”