Oxford Hosts Ceremony For New Middle School

OXFORD, CT — Though it opened in time for school this past fall, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last week at Oxford's new, $45 million middle school on Great Oak Road.

The 81,000-square-foot school, which replaced Oxford Center School, was built in roughly a year, and First Selectman George Temple gave credit to several people for the speedy construction.

Oxford Building Committee members led by Chairman Robert Slie, a long-time resident of Oxford and former principal of the Amity Junior Regional High School in Orange. Slie and his team did an excellent job, Temple said.

The committee worked in collaboration with the town's owners representatives from Construction Solution Group from East Hartford; Tecton Architects from Hartford; and O&G Industries in Torrington.

Temple also gave credit to the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, Board of Education, and educators, who he said were pivotal in planning a project of this magnitude.

"Construction of the project began in June of 2019; during this time, the town's only concern was a possible delay in opening due to the unpredictable upcoming winter weather," Temple said. "No one fathomed we would be faced with the challenges of a global pandemic, but we hired the right people. They faced the challenge, revised their plan, and provided the town with a state-of-the-art school. Our finished product speaks to the ability to utilize the collective wisdom of many people. Despite COVID-19, the school opened on time in September 2020 and under budget by 3 million dollars."