A proposal to replace Weare’s Public Works garage will be on the ballot when voters go to the polls on March 10. The $1.25 million project would bring the town into compliance with safety requirements and facilitate annual reductions in operating and vehicle costs.

The proposed 22,400-square-foot insulated metal building would occupy the site of the present wooden structure. It would include recycling drop off points facing Merrill Road, truck bays, a wash bay, shower and lavatories, and two staff offices.

Waste oil furnaces and much of the new electrical system in the present building could be installed in the new facility.

Public Works director Carl Knapp emphasized the economies of a larger building. For each winter storm, 10 overtime hours are used to prep trucks before the fleet hits the road.

Electric and overtime costs would be reduced if trucks were parked in a heated facility. Presently, trucks must be kept outdoors, requiring block heaters in winter. Electrical service to the heaters cost $560 in January.

In spite of block heaters, trucks cannot be operated when hydraulic systems and fuel lines are cold, so drivers experience a half-hour warm-up time before loading trucks with sand and salt.

“Sand freezes up into a block, so we can’t load the trucks ahead,” Knapp said. “It’s like having a fire truck with no water in it. You can’t have water in it if the truck’s left outdoors in the winter.”

A wash bay in the new facility would prolong the life of a truck by two to three years, Knapp estimates.

“Plow trucks now go for $155,000 to $160,000. We have 10 trucks, so add three years to the life of each and that’s $450,000 saved.”

Trucks cannot be washed in the present facility, nor is there room inside to insert body props for safety when repairing dump trucks.

Transfer station recycling equipment is now outdoors, exposing personnel and machinery to extremes of heat and cold. An indoor recycling station would eliminate metal fatigue caused by weather and improve staff efficiency.

The town’s Joint Loss Management Committee, responsible for reporting safety issues, has given the present building failing grades on electrical wiring, ventilation and floor drainage for the past three years. Although electrical improvements are being made, lack of air circulation and floor drains remain substantial hazards.

There is no sprinkler system in the present building and limited safe storage for flammable materials.

Without the means to address serious safety issues, the town faces the threat of an unplanned closing of the building.

If voters approve a new building, construction could begin when the ground thaws.

Voting in Weare takes place Tuesday, March 10, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Weare Middle School.