OXFORD – The final pieces of the puzzle are in place to enable the Village of Oxford to move forward with its plans to make much-needed improvements at the municipality’s waste water treatment plant.

Tuesday night, the village’s board of trustees unanimously approved a bid tendered by Procon Contraction of Vestal for the installation of two Rotating Biological Contractors (RBC), as well as authorized Mayor Terry Stark to enter into a contract with engineering firm Clough, Harbour & Associates (CHA) to oversee the process.

“It’s higher than what we anticipated,” Stark said, of Procon’s $56,000 bid for the installation. They had estimated the work would cost the village around $37,000. Procon was, however, the low bidder. The four other bids came in higher, ranging from $74,000 to as high as $106,000.

“We’ll just have to reconfigure our financing,” the mayor reported. The village had estimated the cost for the entire project at $439,000, which for the time being has been financed through a Bond Anticipation Note (BAN). Bids have already been awarded for the purchase of the two RBCs, which will cost roughly $150,000 each. The additional agreement with CHA, which has already been contracted for their engineering services, will add as much as $18,000 to the project’s overall price tag, over and above the firm’s previously agreed-to fees.