OXFORD – A resolution passed by the Chenango County Board of Supervisors last week suggests a new fate for a long vacant building in downtown Oxford that has served as nothing more than a blemish in the village for years.

Following recommendations made by the Chenango County Finance Committee, county officials authorized a resolution permitting the transfer of a county owned property in the Village of Oxford, located at 2-4 S. Broad St., just south of Oxford Town and Village Hall. According to the resolution, the property, which has undergone tax foreclosure, would be acquired for village purposes and will become available to the village via pending tax foreclosure proceedings.

“The village has been looking to improve that property for at least ten years,” explained Oxford Mayor Terry Stark, citing village officials’ attempts to purchase the building from its current owner in the past. However, talks to purchase the building have resurfaced over the last two years. “It has been an eyesore for the past eight or nine years and this is the first time we have actually been in a place to implement action.”

As part of the transfer agreement, the village must pay outstanding property taxes upon completion of foreclosure: $756.46 in due school taxes and $625.42 in village taxes, in addition to any clerk fees incurred in the filing process. Moreover, the village can not refer to the county for demolition expenses or a waiver of additional fees.