Oxford’s wide open spaces offer room to grow
By FELICIA HUNTER
fhunter@ctpost.com
OXFORD — Wide-open spaces. Rolling hills. A pastoral atmosphere.
It sounds like a brochure describing a Midwest resort, but it is a depiction of Oxford, a New England town that’s attracted hundreds over the last 10 years because of an ability to maintain its rural ambience.
In the decade since 1990, Oxford’s population increased by 13.1 percent, according to the 2000 Census. It is the largest percentage increase among the five municipalities in the lower Naugatuck Valley. That translates into 1,136 more residents in 2000 than in 1990.
Within the Valley, "We’re a growth area," said First Selectman Paul Schreiber. "All of the other towns around us are pretty much full. Oxford is not full."
Far from it.
The current population of 9,821 or so residents is sparsely dispersed throughout a 33- square-mile area. Compare that to Shelton, which, at 31.4 square miles, is similar in geographic size, but has 38,101 residents — nearly four times that of Oxford. Derby’s 12,391 residents surpass Oxford’s population by almost 25 percent, but they are condensed into an area six times smaller than Oxford.
‘Piece of Heaven’
"One of the things that sets Oxford apart is, we don’t have the
old-mill-town aspect," Schreiber said. With zoning regulations and
land acquisitions "we have created openness," the first
selectman noted.
An interesting aspect of Oxford is that its growth is contained within a town that has largely maintained its pastoral aspect. And that, say both residents and commuting nonresidents, is what makes Oxford an attractive place to live and work.
Oxford’s basic landscape has changed little since 47-year-old Maggie Buck moved to Connecticut from Michigan more than 30 years ago. Settling first in Fairfield and later in Ansonia, it would be a while before she relocated to Oxford, but she remembers admiring the area long before actually living here.
"We used to drive through Oxford, and it reminded me of home. I grew up in a very rural part of Michigan," said Buck, who was raised on a farm there.
Buck now owns a horse and several other animals, and said she likes Oxford’s small-town character. An employee of a Farmington law firm, she also believes Oxford is a "good commuting town."
"When you go home at night, you have your own little piece of heaven," said Schreiber, 51, who owns a 400-acre farm with beef cattle, pigs, goats, pheasants, corn for animals, a pumpkin patch, a greenhouse and gardens. "It’s one of the most beautiful places I know."
Local resident Jack Savoy, 35, a sheet metal fabricator for Oxford’s Lewis Cleaning Systems, enjoys working in his hometown. "It’s nice to work close to home," he said. "There’s no traffic, no hassles."
The relatively hassle-free environment appears attractive to others, too.
Savoy, Schreiber and Buck are all members of subpopulations that swelled since 1990. Among the age groups in which population increases were noted were those 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 59 and 60 to 64. There are, respectively, 222, 740, 226 and 18 more people in these categories in 2000 than in 1990.
The number of residents aged 65 to 74 has held steady over the 10-year period. But their older brothers and sisters register significant population increases. Residents 75 to 84 increased by 57 percent, from 196 to 308. Those aged 85 and over were up by more than 100 percent, from 41 to 87.
Diversity edges up
Oxford is populated overwhelmingly by whites, who make up 97.7 percent
of the population. Asians comprise only 0.7 percent of the town’s
residents, African-Americans a mere 0.5 percent. Still, their numbers are
significant because they, too, reflect growth.
The 65 Asians living in Oxford represent more than a 33 percent increase over the town’s 1990 Asian population. And Oxford’s 50 African-American residents have more than tripled their ranks since 1990.
Ninety-one percent of residents own the homes they live in, about the same proportion as in 1990. But the rental vacancy rate has plummeted, from 10 percent in 1990 to 1.3 percent in 2000. That suggests more people are coming into Oxford than moving out.
Other Census data support the notion that the increased population is due primarily to inward migration. For example, there are 276 more family households in 2000 than a decade earlier, and 390 more housing units.
"A lot of new homes are being built," Schreiber said. "Over the past couple of years, we’ve had an [annual] average of three percent in new homes." The town, he said, "is a wonderful place to raise kids."
And for some, to conduct business.
Supportive of industry
Not many people routinely see deer, turkeys and pheasants freely
roaming the grounds in industrial work complexes. Employees at Lewis
Cleaning Systems do.
"Sometimes we have to stop and let turkeys cross the driveway," said Pete Bernier, who’s been working at Lewis the past seven years. He commutes from Waterbury because he likes the general atmosphere of the out-of-the-way factory, located at 102 Willenbrock Road in Oxford’s growing commercial-industrial complex.
Fred Dobson, a 31-year-old wiring technician at the factory and resident of neighboring Seymour, likes the "quiet area" almost as much as the short commute. "I prefer to live and work in the Valley," he said.
"I can look from my office and see green trees," said fabrication supervisor Tom Verrastro of Bethlehem. "It’s very nice."
Not only does Oxford provide an attractive terrain to build a business, it also tries to support industry through favorable zoning regulations.
"They work with us," Robert Hunter, Lewis president, said about town boards. When the company, which manufactures machines for industrial cleaning, wanted to double its size in 1988 to its current 40,000 square feet, it was necessary to move. Instead of positioning itself outside the town, the company decided to relocate within Oxford.
The 50-employee company was able to acquire three tracts of land with little difficulty. It now sits on the center plot and looks to expand another 20,000 square feet in the not-too-distant future.
"The town just has been willing to go more than halfway to work with you for the various levels of approval," said Hunter. "They’ve been very supportive. They want people to come in."
He cited, for example, a routine inland wetlands agency approval the company was required to obtain. When Hunter inquired about the process, a member of the board offered to bring over the application that very day. Hunter said the company also has received support establishing utility lines in the pastoral environment.
Oxford additionally offers a ready-made pool of workers, he said. "The work force is pretty stable" in and around the area, said Hunter, who estimates that a good number of the company’s workers are from the Valley and Waterbury.
The town’s proximity to highways and Waterbury-Oxford Airport is also a plus for a company that transports its custom-made products throughout the country and abroad.
"If people want to work with us, we’ll work with them," said Schreiber. "We become a partner. The businesses that come here seem to be doing very, very well. They’re very happy here."
Keeping the good life
The manner in which the town is growing industrially sits well with
Philip Rowland, who, at age 70, is among the 65- to 74-year-olds who make
up 4.7 percent of the population.
"There are a lot of small businesses. People are coming in who are fairly prosperous and they’re building big houses," said Rowland, who lives in the north end of Oxford, near the airport. He likes it there because it’s convenient for his son, who lives in Rhode Island and pilots his own private plane into Oxford for visits.
The airport, said Rowland, "is good for the town. It’s convenient and brings in tax dollars."
Rowland lives on a 3-acre portion of the 120-acre farm his grandfather, an emigrant from England, owned in 1900. Much of the land has been sold, including the original house and farm, which are still intact, he said.
But he’s forward-thinking. "I think farms are a thing of the past," he said. "They’re just too expensive now, and they’re not profitable." Growing up in Oxford, he himself "never cared much for farming." He opted instead to acquire an engineering degree from the University of Connecticut. He’s now retired from his job as a lab technician for a Bridgeport company.
About 20 years ago, Rowland considered leaving the area. He dismissed the thought.
"I thought it would be nice to be in a better climate," he said. "But I have friends and family ties here, so I stayed right here." For 30 years, he’s been treasurer of the Oxford Grange — an organization that was started in the 1860s to promote the interest of farmers, but is now largely a social and civic group. He also likes being close to the Naugatuck YMCA. "They have a good program for senior citizens," he said.
It’s a good life. But there are a few concerns.
Rowland believes too much town money is being proposed for a new library and community/senior center, estimated at $7 million, as well as a planned $50 million high school project. He’s all for the town building its first high school, he just doesn’t see why it should cost so much. He is one of several residents who are not certain such uses for the town’s tax dollars are the most efficient.
Schreiber doesn’t agree.
"It’s not a frill," he said about the planned facility near Town Hall that will house a new library, community center and senior center.
He points to the current makeshift senior center, which consists of the main meeting room in Town Hall. The new facility will free up Town Hall to serve solely as a municipal office building, he said, noting that the center of town government is now so cramped that, in at least one instance, four or five people have to share one desk.
Planning for the future
"We just need to be able to service the people better and give
them their appropriate space so they can enjoy life," Schreiber said.
He cites a 10-year plan he’s just beginning to formulate that will
address quality-of-life issues such as building new facilities, and
upgrades to and maintenance of existing structures.
For example, by the time the next Census is taken in 2010, Schreiber says, Oxford will have built the new high school, made improvements to its existing schools, and added several recreational features, including a walking path.
Schreiber also hopes to increase the town’s police presence. Although Oxford’s crime rate remains relatively low, "we expect to expand the police force to the level we need," he said. "In the future, I hope to have a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week police presence in Oxford."
A golf course community also is on the way. Such town improvements will be made, Schreiber insists, without infringing on the town’s precious natural assets.
Those assets are very much on the minds of those opposing another planned industrial project.
A 500-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant is proposed for 11 acres in the northeast part of town, not far from the airport. But the byproducts from the plant could spoil the town’s water and air quality, say opponents, who believe it is the kind of development Oxford doesn’t need.
Among those who oppose the power plant is longtime resident Kathy Johnson, who has said its addition will diminish the town’s character. She believes that if the power plant is allowed, it will open the door for a flood of environmentally threatening industries to come to town.
Johnson is running against Schreiber in this year’s first selectman race. Her husband, Wayne, is president of the Oxford Land Trust.
Schreiber supports the power plant because of the tax revenue it would generate. Those tax dollars will, among other things, help pay for the new high school, he says. He adds he does not believe Oxford is at risk for becoming overdeveloped any time soon.
"What is too much development?" Schreiber asks. "I think what protects us is our zoning laws."
He also points to recent acquisition of water company land for open space preservation, along with the town’s three state parks, as proof that Oxford’s rolling hills and pristine terrain will remain intact.
Felicia Hunter, Valley bureau chief, can be reached at 736-5441.
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