BUCKLAND — Work was expected to begin on the new town highway garage this week, Selectboard member Dena Willmore said Monday.
First, workers will remove asbestos at the former Mayhew Steel plant before partially demolishing the building. The garage will be finished by the end of the year at the soonest, Willmore said, although work may continue next year.
The garage will replace the Mayhew Steel plant with a 5,000-square-foot, four-bay garage and a 5,000-square-foot, unheated pole barn for additional equipment storage.
About a decade ago, the Highway Department was ousted from its old Conway Street garage by the building inspector, who deemed the building structurally unsound. In the meantime, Buckland rented the old Mayhew Steel plant on the Sears Street Extension in 2014 for $5,000 per month.
In 2016, the town unanimously voted to buy the 4.7 acre site for $325,000. However, the building did not meet standards required for a municipal garage. The town sought $3.5 million for new construction of a highway garage in 2017, but that proposal was narrowly defeated.
The highway garage was approved by a nine-vote margin in November – 151 in favor of the plan, and 142 opposed.