Oxford Borough Council approved a resolution at the May 3 council meeting for a multi-municipal planning grant being submitted by the Borough of West Grove to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) Program to support the development of a Baltimore Pike Bikeway Conceptual Design Plan.

This is one more step toward ensuring that Oxford and Southern Chester County continues to be a destination point for recreational opportunities.

Council is currently in the midst of working with Chester County Planning Commission on a Feasibility Study for a Southern Chester County Circuit Trail which includes recommendations for the Baltimore Pike Bikeway. That study also illuminates numerous parks, and land placed in preservation along the way. The proposed bikeway will ultimately connect cyclists from Pennsylvania to Maryland.

Starting in the Borough, the Oxford Area Recreational Authority continues to develop the facility located at 900 West Locust Street. The Oxford Area Recreation Authority (OARA) is a Pennsylvania municipal authority incorporated in 2003 to provide shared recreation facilities for a population of approximately 24,000 residents of East Nottingham Township, West Nottingham Township, Elk Township, Lower Oxford Township and the Borough of Oxford. It is also highlighted in the feasibility study. Currently, the OARA Park includes ballfields, hiking trails, playgrounds, and more. 

Continuing along the healthy lifestyle/transportation theme, Oxford Borough Council also approved  Resolution #1335-2022 to apply for a $25,000 grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Health WalkWorks Program to support development of an Active Transportation Plan.

The Borough is completing Streestcape IV of their plan which includes sidewalks on Locust Street and Second Street. They approved a temporary easement agreement with the Oxford Library which will make improvements that ensure that the sidewalk on the property along N. Second Street is flush with the paver walkway to the former front door of the library.

Brian Dix, the executive director of Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. (OMI) and Borough Manager Pauline Garcia-Allen that a grant for $2 million has been awarded for the reconstruction of the theater in a building on S. Third Street. Both Dix and Garcia-Allen explained what would be required to bring this project to fruition.

Both agreed it was very exciting that they had received the amount requested. The project will probably take five years to complete.

In other business, borough council approved Resolution 1333-2022 to submit a request for funding through Chester County’s American Rescue Plan Act for technology and related investments to improve operations.

Council approved a fee of $2,826 per month for a service agreement with HelpNow to provide ongoing information technology outsourcing, solution maintenance, management, monitoring and support. 

Council also approved $2,550 for IT equipment and $14,407.50 for IT labor services of non-recurring costs to improve IT services, security, computers and servers in borough hall, the police station, the public works plant, and water plant, as outlined in the HelpNow IT proposal.

Council approved a service agreement in the amount of $5,220 with CyLutions, LLC

to migrate SharePoint 2010 onsite to Office 365 as part of the Borough’s Microsoft 365 Conversion.

Council approved a motion to accept Civil Service Resolution #2022-001 regarding the eligibility list for the position as corporal of the Oxford Police Department. This gives permission to certify the list of those passing the corporal test. Officer Joseph Devlin passed the test and is expected to eventually be sworn in as corporal.

Libby Horwitz, a senior housing and economic development planner, from Chester County Planning Commission, discussed the increasing population in Chester County and how the need for increased housing will be handled in the future. She invited the public to go to chesco.org for further information on housing.

The next council meeting will be held on May 16.