Sue Milligan, left, president of Helping Hands Food Pantry in Oxford, addresses selectmen Thursday night about moving the pantry from the town office building on Pleasant Street to Station House Recreation Center on King Street. Seated in the background, from left, are Police Chief Rickie Jack and Selectmen Floyd Thayer and Dana Dillingham. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat

OXFORD — Selectmen on Thursday authorized Town Manager Adam Garland to work with Helping Hands Food Pantry to assess the feasibility of moving the operation to the Station House Recreation Center on King Street.

The nonprofit group, which provides food to about 45 Oxford families, has been looking for a new location since the Municipal Center on Pleasant Street was put up for sale last summer.

Last October, Helping Hands’ board of directors proposed using storage space at the recreation center. At that time selectmen did not support the proposal because they had directed the Recreation Committee to expand children’s programming and felt there would not be enough room.

Selectmen suggested using other town properties such as the Kay House Museum on Pleasant Street or the Center Meeting House on Main Street. But neither of those sites have proper year-round heating and plumbing.

At the annual town meeting in June, voters approved purchasing a building at 127 Pottle Road for municipal offices on the condition selectmen commit to finding the food pantry new quarters. Locating the pantry there was one option.

But Thursday the board said the recreation center is the best option. Helping Hands board President Susan Milligan agreed.

“We think it would be a very suitable spot for us,” she said. “Our clients can line up at the front or the back door. Spacewise, we could make it work.”

When one resident brought up statements made at town meeting about moving to 127 Pottle Road, Milligan said the new building does not have a separate entrance to accommodate boxed supplies being carried to waiting cars.

The area under consideration at the recreation center is used to store holiday decorations, tables and chairs, and activities equipment. A bridge club that meets weekly rents space to store its tables there.

The pantry would need to have a privacy wall built and the building’s electrical capacity would have to be expanded to accommodate its freezers and refrigerator. Milligan said her group is looking at fundraising options to help with the cost.

Board of Selectmen Vice Chairman Caldwell Jackson said the pantry would need to have its own electrical system and separate meter, if it moves into the space.

Lois Pike, one of the founders of the Recreation Committee and center, said she is not in favor of the plan.

“I don’t think it’s big enough for recreation,” Pike told the board. “I don’t know where we would store everything we use. Spacewise, what is rec going to do?”

“There are 45 families that would be out of luck,” Milligan said. “We will make that space work. We don’t have the money to redo the whole thing, but I think if the town is willing, we would certainly appreciate, and I know the townspeople who access the pantry would appreciate, whatever you can do to help us get moved down there. We will kick in what we can.”

Pike countered that with no municipal budget to make the necessary improvements and upgrades the cost will fall to taxpayers.

“Is there a budget line that says how we’re going to do all this stuff?” she asked. “There is no ceiling in the storage area, no insulation, that all needs to be done. We didn’t have the money to do it ourselves.

“I don’t see how we gain anything by taking something apart, that I would like to see grow,” Pike continued. “I can’t imagine we can hire a person (new rec director) to run a program if we’re going to eliminate the room they would need to do it.”

Selectmen agreed the first step is to clear out the storage area to determine if the space is adequate and gather cost information.

Selectman Scott Hunter added that scheduling between pantry operations and rec center activities also needs to be closely considered.

Garland said he would get started on the work right away.