Oxford City Council discusses sidewalk improvements, ICE concerns raised

The Oxford City Council reviewed proposed sidewalk projects and heard public comment on deer management and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) concerns during a meeting on Jan. 20.

Sidewalk improvements 

Mike Dreisbach, service director for the City of Oxford, spoke to the city council about upcoming sidewalk improvements. 

According to Dreisbach, sidewalk repairs will be a multistep project, including signing a construction contract, confirming costs and reviewing tax impacts.   

He indicated severely damaged and cracked sidewalks would fall under these repairs.

City Manager Doug Elliott added that Oxford residents have helped the city become more aware of dangerous areas where trips and falls have occurred.

A resolution passed by the city council highlighted the need for a new sidewalk on Olde Farm Road, from Contreras Road to approximately 115 Olde Farm Road. 

Dreisbach said the project is estimated to cost $153,000.

The project is not currently in the City of Oxford’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), so the city must find a source of funding.

Councilor William Snavely spoke in support of the project. 

“I think this is probably the number one project that we needed to take care of,” Snavely said. “I’m glad we are doing it and I wholeheartedly endorse it.”

Deer management 

Steve Sullivan, director of the Hefner Museum of Natural History, expressed his support of the city’s deer management program during the public comment period. 

“It was really emotional and challenging for a lot of people,” Sullivan said. “The council did just a spectacular job on that.” 

Sullivan shared his approval of White Buffalo Inc.’s work in the city in early January. He said he was one of many people who obtained deer carcasses, which he used to teach others field dressing techniques.

Initially, Sullivan was concerned regarding the professionalism of White Buffalo Inc.’s work, but found that the group’s ethics and quality of work were high.

“(The deer) were dispatched with greater care and ethics than anything we get at the grocery store,” Sullivan said. “It was amazing and excellent.”

As a hunter and someone who deals with animals regularly, Sullivan said he has relatively high standards for deer culling. 

“It was a lot of work, and I couldn’t imagine it paying off any better,” he said.

ICE concerns

Kate Bowers, a resident of Reily Township, spoke to the city council during the public comment period about taking up a policy to prevent ICE agents from entering local schools.

Bowers shared a passed Cincinnati City Council resolution from its Jan. 14 meeting which urges federal law enforcement officers to comply, as local police officers do, with the requirements regarding masks, body cameras and officer identification.

Bowers, a teacher in the Talawanda School District, suggested the Oxford City Council consider a similar resolution to “assuage some fears with teachers.”

“I speak for myself, as me as a teacher, (and) for my students who are concerned about agents coming in and doing things that I can’t imagine,” Bowers said. 

The city council did not address this request during the remainder of the meeting.

The Oxford City Council will meet again on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Oxford Courthouse on 118 W. High St.