OXFORD – After more than a month of weighing its options, the Village of Oxford has determined a preliminary course of action regarding the municipality’s aging wastewater treatment facility.

In September, one of the plant’s two rotating biological contactors stopped working, leaving village leaders to question whether to simply replace the roughly $150,000 piece of equipment or roll the cost into a larger scale capital project which would overhaul the entire 20-year old facility.

Last Tuesday, village trustees met to review a proposal submitted by Vern Ingraham of the engineering firm Clough, Harbour & Associates to both develop specifications to replace the non-functioning RBC and conduct a preliminary engineering report to assess the facility’s long-term operation.

After a lengthy discussion, the board authorized an expenditure of up to $22,000 to cover the cost of the study which, according to Mayor Terry Stark, is necessary in order for the village to apply for grant funding or low-interest loans through the USDA’s Rural Development arm.

The initial cost estimate provided by Clough, Harbour totaled $30,000 for the engineering report, including $22,000 for the report itself and an additional $8,000 for the firm’s five-member team to visit the site.

“We should be eligible for a grant for a good portion of the engineering study fees,” Stark reported, which will keep the village’s expenditures below that which was approved by the board.