OXFORD – Residents of the Oxford Academy and Central School district will take to the polls on Sept. 24 in a voter referendum which will decide the fate of the first phase of a capital project two and a half years in the works.

In order to ensure that voters are well informed about the project, the district will be hosting two public information forums, the first of which will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium at Oxford High School. The second has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17 in the Middle School auditorium.

Each forum will allow district residents the opportunity to learn the details of the proposed $4.65 million capital improvement project, which will address critical health and safety issues identified during a building condition survey conducted in 2005 as well as in a more recent assessment conducted by the Bernier Carr Group, the architectural consulting firm retained by the district.

On Sept. 1, members of the district’s Facility Advisory Committee viewed a preliminary version of the power-point presentation which voters will see during the public hearings. The informative presentation highlighted the areas which will be addressed in each school building.

“The majority of the money being spent on this project is being spent at the Middle School,” explained BCG CEO Bernard Brown, Jr., as he reviewed how the $3,475,574 allocated for the 79-year-old building will be used to renovate and refurbish the historic structure.

“All of these need to be addressed,” Brown said, as he described the work which will be required to repair the building’s exterior. Historical features such as the columns, cupola and entry doors will be refurbished, and the school’s roof, gutters, tie-ins and flashing will all be either repaired or replaced.

Interior work will include a thorough renovation of the auditorium and gymnasium. In the auditorium, work will include asbestos abatement, seating rehabilitation, curtain replacement and increased handicap accessibility, Brown explained. In the adjoining gym, the floor, ceiling, bleachers and wall pads will all be replaced, and a roll-down divider curtain installed.