OXFORD — Town Manager Butch Asselin told the Board of Selectmen Thursday, Sept. 19, he had received several phone calls regarding the levels of Whiney Pond going down. also said he had fielded several phone calls regarding lower water levels on Whitney Pond.

Whitney and Hogan ponds feed the Little Androscoggin River, which is controlled at the Welchville Dam near the intersection of Routes 26 and 121.

“This is nothing we had done and the gate wasn’t open,” Asselin said. “I’m not sure if it was something that happened upstream or what was going on. We assured them it was nothing the town had done. It will be next week when we open the gate.”

Placement of data loggers to measure water levels was underway, he said.

In August, the board accepted the recommendation of Trout Unlimited, in consultation with NOAA Fisheries, to conduct a water level study to see what the effect would be if Welchville Dam was removed.

The proposed plan included installing five data loggers to measure water levels directly upstream of the spillway, at the outlets of Hogan and Whitney ponds, at the confluence of the Little Androscoggin River and near the Route 121 bridge.

In other matters, the board accepted Standards of Conduct, Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement, Fair Housing Resolution, Residential Anti-displacement and Relocation Assistance Plan, and Self-evaluation plans for a Department of Economic Community Development Block Grant.

Valley View Orchard Pies was recently notified it was a recipient of a $100,000 grant through the program. The funds will help with refrigeration, heat and humidity control, and with creating two new jobs.

“The town and the board have gone through phase 1,” Asselin said. “This is part of phase 2 and there are certain criteria and policies the town has to adopt in order for us to get a contract with DECD to move forward with the grant. Most of this is administrative only. Some of these really are not applicable because we are not doing housing. Most of this is administrative only.”

Other business

Selectmen also accepted bids for two Oxford Fire Rescue Department ambulances that have been replaced and put out of service. Autotronics of Bangor was the high bidder for both the 1999 ambulance, $5,000, and the 2003 ambulance, $5,500.

Asselin said the money would be added to the General Fund.

Asselin reported the LED streetlight conversion was almost complete.

“Once everything is done, we will focus on new lights,” he added.

Consideration for new lights include the intersection of Rapid Valley Road and King Street, and the areas of Walmart on Main Street and Oxford Casino on Casino Way.