Oxford Academy taking a hard look at its middle school building

OXFORD – Oxford Academy will be taking a hard look at what to do with its middle school building. The structure’s 77 year-old design proved vulnerable in last year’s unusually severe floods and cost the school about $1.1 million in damages.

The brunt of the cost was paid by state and federal emergency aid. The district has each of its buildings – high, middle and elementary schools – insured at approximately $500,000. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has asked Oxford Academy to increase its insurance on the middle school to one million dollars.



“The middle school used all its insurance to help pay the damage suffered during the flood, and the premiums could cost the district three or four times as much,” Superintendent Randall Squier said.

Every year, schools in New York state are required to have a licensed firm inspect their buildings, and this year, Oxford will be hiring a private engineering firm to look closely at numerous issues facing the building and its location.

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Reader Response

2 comments on this story

mghin
April 12th, 2007 at 7:52 am
Rather than looking to replace the Middle school as its first solution. Squires, the BOE and the Village of Oxford should be looking for ways to safe guard the building and all of Downtown Oxford from future flooding. Its not like the Middle school was the only building damaged in last June's historic flooding. I would suggest that a call be made to FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to see if a solution to reduce the effects for all of downtown Oxford. Including dredging up the river from the rte 220 bridge to below the solid waste treatment plant on the southern edge of Oxford, or retaining walls either of contrete or earth that can help reduce the possibilites of flooding. Squires call to replace the Middle school in last months Blackhawk Bulliten so early after the completion of the South Washington Campus addition is premature to say the least.
Concerned Oxford Alumni
issylu
April 11th, 2007 at 7:55 am
This is a historical landmark and will out last anything else in Oxford with the exception of the old bank building.
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