Oxford schools will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the town waits for CL&P to clear downed wires and restore power.
That’s according to interim schools Superintendent James Connelly.
He said the district will reassess on Wednesday whether it can open the schools later this week.
“We’re not optimistic that we’ll get power up here until mid-week,” Connelly said.
“Even if we get most power back, we will still have the transportation company go out and assess the driving conditions. Right now, there are too many blocked roads.”
Click here to read more about the restoration effort in Oxford.
Showers, Hot Water, Electricity
Two schools lost power during the storm: Oxford High School and Oxford Center School.
The high school has generator power, and was initially being used as the town’s emergency shelter, until a boiler malfunction Sunday required that the shelter be moved to Quaker Farms School on Great Oak Road.
The heating system was restored, Connelly said, but because all the supplies have already been moved, the town will keep the shelter at Quaker Farms School.
However, residents will be able to use the Oxford High School showers during limited hours, Connelly said.
“We have a very limited shower capacity at Quaker Farms,” Connelly said. “The high school has a whole bank of showers.”
The high school will be open today (Monday, Oct. 31) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for residents to use the showers. More hours will be announced later by the Emergency Management Office.
A building that houses two classroom at the Center School was damaged during the storm. Click here to read about it.
Damage To Buildings
One classroom building at Oxford Center School suffered severe roof damage after a tree fell on it during the storm.
The school is set up in a campus style, with one main building and several smaller buildings with classrooms in them.
Building number 6 had a tree and several branches fall on it during the storm, according to district facilities manager John Barlow.
The tree damaged the roof, which will now have to be replaced, Barlow said.
The work will displace about 50 students in two classrooms in the building, Barlow said. Plans were being made to move them to other classrooms when the schools reopen.
The district has hired Lou’s Tree Service to remove the debris, and cut down at least seven other trees from the area around the classroom buildings, Barlow said.
“The trees are compromised,” Barlow said. “They had a lot of weight on them. It’s better to remove them. We don’t want them coming down when the kids are running around here.”