By Kelsey Kimbler
OXFORD — Oxford City Council met on Tuesday, Jan. 3 for its first meeting of the new year.
The meeting opened with a proclamation making Sunday, Jan. 8, “Dr. Ellen Buerk Day.” Ellen Plumner Buerk was raised in Preble County, graduating from Eaton City High School. She went to college at both Miami University and The Ohio State University College of Medicine and settled down in Oxford.
There she spent years serving the community and making a difference. She served on the McCullough Hyde Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees from 1993-2002, was Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1999-2001, and was the Chief of Staff at the hospital from 1979-1980. She even taught at both the University of Cincinnati and Miami University.
The proclamation serves to honor her service to the community and wish her a “fulfilling retirement.”
In other business, Connie Malone presented information on the benefit soup luncheon Empty Bowls. This annual event is dedicated to raising awareness and funds to help combat hunger in the Oxford community. Last year’s event took place on Saturday, Nov. 12.
This event costs $10, and that ticket price buys a bowl — handmade by someone in the community — and a homemade meal, made possible through donations from the community.
Empty Bowls is an international hunger relief effort, but all efforts and events occur at the local level. The event was initially started in 1990 by a Michigan art teacher, but Oxford’s local event began in 2002.
During the three-hour luncheon in November, $8,702.95 was raised for Oxford’s Community Choice Pantry, bringing Oxford’s total amount raised over the years to $76,811.80.
All proceeds go to Oxford Community Choice Pantry.
Next year’s event is already planned for Nov. 11, 2017, and bowl painting events will take place throughout the year.
In other business:
•Council discussed a resolution supporting an Amtrak station in the City of Oxford. This resolution pledged financial support of $350,000 to go towards the construction of an Amtrak platform and shelter.
The Amtrak Committee asked the city for this resolution of support during a Dec. 20 work session. They asked Miami University for the same commitment.
With the agreement of both Miami University and the City of Oxford, the Amtrak committee can move forward with the platform stipulations Amtrak provided in 2015.
•Council held the first reading of an ordinance regarding the Planning Board’s preliminary plan approval for Phase I of a planned development to allow a self storage facility. This is a commercial development project on 14 acres of vacant land on College Corner Pike. The self-storage buildings will be placed on the north end of the site and there will be commercial/retail/offices to the south end of the site. This is classified under the General Business Zoning District.
•Mayor Kate Rousmaniere reminded the audience that on Monday, Jan. 16, there will be a Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration program held at Shriver Center starting at 10 a.m. This program is open to the public and will feature a complimentary continental breakfast and guest speaker Dr. Tammy Kernodle. There will be free parking behind Shriver Center and on Maple Street.
The next Oxford City Council meeting will be at Oxford’s Courthouse on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m.
Reach Kelsey Kimbler at 937-683-4061 or on Twitter @KKimbler_RH
