Photo by Rafał Rudol on Unsplash

The Oxford Park Commission works to make sure that buildings are safe and up to code even in the face of an inch of a difference. 

Senior Building Inspector Chris Carter said that someone had expressed concerns that in the new building the height of the railings were a little too short on the second floor. International Business Codes state that handrails need to be measured at 42 inches off the floor. 

“The reason for that is that according to the commentary, it puts the top of the guard above the center of gravity for a normal adult,” Carter said.

The current railing is an inch to a half inch too short. 

“Is that one inch to half inch off going to be an issue?” Carter said. “It won’t until it is.” 

The contractor has been contacted to bring it up. The board stated that they believe that it may have been possible that they measured the railing before they put the floor covering in. They also said that the flooring that was put in was around a half inch to an inch. 

It still does not meet code up to date. The contractors are going to have to figure out the best way to raise the railing to meet regulations. 

“They are going to have to do the track and the arcade,” board member Allison Koestler said. 

The board discusses doing something more than just raising the board a couple of inches. 

“It is a minimum threshold to meet due diligence,” board member Don L. Fruge’, Jr. said. “If we did anything extra it would be addition.”

Board member Jason Lowe questioned whether it was assuming risk if they did anything more than required because it would be stating that there was a risk. 

“I don’t think you are at all,” Fruge said. “We cannot prevent something from happening. We are not assuming risk by stating that there is risk. Codes are there as a minimum threshold of safety.”

Fruge compared it to wearing a seat belt. If you wear a seat belt there is a reduced chance of something happening, but the seat belt does not completely prevent injury. 

The board also discusses the different type of people that are not the walking track that is framed by the railing. They state that during most of the year adults are on the walking track, but during basketball season there could be kids that are rough housing.  

The railing will be higher above the center of gravity for children that are shorter than the average adult. 

“There is a potential for risk in everything,” said Koestler. 

The board also discusses budgeting and projects for the future. The Oxford Park Commission considers opening up a splash pad for the community. 

Director Seth Gaines stated that for the space available by the skate park, the splash pad would most likely cost $108,000. 

“I am a big fan of the splash pad,” Lowe said. “Especially for the younger kids that cant really swim… I think it’s a no brainer to do.”

Koestler said that with concrete they need to be careful for safety if the splash pad is made of concrete. 

The board also continues to create new programs for the city of Oxford. They have approved a program for woodworking for students over the summer. They have also been working on a volleyball clinic that has been well received. In addition, there has also been an increase of awareness in pickle ball. 

The Oxford Park Commission meets at 8:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month and they are open to the public.