OXFORD – Residents of the Oxford Academy and Central School district will head to the polls tomorrow to decide the fate of the district’s proposed $10.16 million capital project. The project, referred to as “phase II,” follows on the coat-tails of the $4.65 million phase I project approved by voters last fall.

The scope of work for the $10,160,375 project consists of $7,150,880 in improvements at the Oxford Middle School – to include reconstruction of existing classrooms and facilities, installation of equipment to enable wireless connectivity, elevation of the boiler room and conversion of the building’s steam heating system to hot water.

At the Primary School, $161,425 has been allocated for site work and reconstruction, to include playground improvements, air conditioning in a hand full of classrooms and installation of wireless technology.

$2,848,069 will be spent at the High School, of which $648,060 will be allocated to relocate the district and special programs offices, expand the school’s art room and develop a shared entrance with the Primary School. School officials have stressed this will help make the building more secure during the school day, and will not affect students at the start of the day or at dismissal.

The remaining $1.34 million is slated for site work at the Primary/High School campus, including new bleachers and other improvements to the school’s athletic fields. Drainage issues will also be addressed.

Squier described the biggest benefits of the project as being that it will both “take care of long term needs of the middle school building,” and allow the buildings and fields to be updated “with no impact on the local tax levy.”

“If the referendum is defeated, the district is still responsible for maintaining the buildings and fields and will have to complete that work utilizing local tax dollars,” he explained.