Oxford orders safety upgrades for 5 balconies on town Square

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi city is telling owners of five downtown businesses that they have one year to make sure their balconies meet safety standards. In the meantime, one of the businesses is being ordered to close its balcony and four are being told to reduce the number of people allowed on the structures. The Oxford Board of Aldermen voted to require the improvements after the city recently completed inspections of commercial balconies. Those are required once every five years. Engineers found most balconies on buildings around the Square to be safe, but five were not in compliance with the International Building Code.