WESTBROOK – Westbrook is considering a proposed $8.7 million rehab for the aging Public Services garage on Saco Street – half the price tag estimated for the job in 2011.

A proposal for the project would redevelop the site to allow for the consolidation of maintenance for the city’s entire fleet of public vehicles, including school transportation, public safety and public works.

At a meeting Monday, the City Council’s Facilities and Streets Committee voted unanimously to send the proposal to the full City Council for discussion.

The facility was built in 1969, and the site includes a school transportation maintenance garage, public services facility, cramped administrative offices, a fueling station and sand and salt storage.

The updated facility would consolidate municipal and school building maintenance, wastewater division maintenance, and public safety vehicle maintenance, which have separate buildings on Cumberland Mills and Mechanic Street.

Owens McCullough, the vice president of engineering at Sebago Technics, the civil engineering firm charged with developing the plans, presented details of the project Monday.

He said in researching and developing a plan for the 15,000-square-foot site, the scope of the project came into view.

“It’s pretty amazing what the inventory is up there,” he said. “I dare say you approach $10 million in equipment. One plow truck is $180,000.”

McCullough said getting “everything under one roof” will increase efficiency, as well as save the city money through shared equipment.

He added that as time has passed, the outdated building has not been able to keep up with the space needed for the growing amount of sophisticated equipment needed for each division, as well as other building standards.

“A lot has changed in 45 years,” he said. “We want to be compliant with current operational and environmental standards.”

New facility components will include a 22,050-square-foot fleet maintenance and administration building, a 14,000-square-foot sand and salt storage building, and a 1,900-square-foot school bus administration office.

McCullough said that the bus transportation maintenance department is struggling with space issues, and that with a bus in the garage, “there is no room from side to side,” for mechanics to work. “It makes it very difficult to operate around and service the buses,” he said.

He added that the bus office, as well as employee kitchen and break room, is also inadequate and too small for the needs of the building.

According to City Administrator Jerre Bryant, a building committee was formed in 2011, and an initial proposal of more than $17 million was considered beyond the means of the city.

“We thought it was just too much to ask the public for an updated Public Services facility,” he said.

However, Bryant said, upgrades are already past due.

“This is a huge operation we house up there, and the current conditions certainly do not meet the needs,” he said.

Tom Eldridge, director of public services, said the plan for a fleet maintenance facility, which is by far the most expensive aspect of the overhaul at $3.1 million, “makes the most sense” for the city. He said a fleet manager would oversee the entire operation for all departments.

“A fleet maintenance division would service all the equipment, and use the resources as needed for particular jobs,” he said.

City Councilor John O’Hara said the proposal also takes into account the parcel’s abutting neighbors, and has restructured the buildings in accordance with those concerns. The fleet maintenance garage will be located central to the site, he said, as well as bus parking being moved to the opposite end of the site, furthest from neighbors.

Councilor Mike Foley raised the question of whether the committee considered a covered area for vehicles that could protect them from the elements.

McCollough said indoor storage of vehicles was included in the initial plan, but was removed in the new proposal for cost reasons.

“It is set up so that some day, down the road, if there’s a grant or funding available, covered storage could be put right over where they are,” he said. “It was designed around flexibility for future improvements.”

“Is it a good idea, absolutely,” Bryant said. “But then we’re right back to $12 million, which in our estimation, is too much money.”

Bryant said that with the wastewater division maintenance, and public safety vehicle maintenance part of the consolidation, their respective buildings in Cumberland Mills and on Mechanic Street would no longer be needed.

According to Bryant, if the Cumberland Mills building is no longer under municipal use, the land would revert back to Sappi, which donated it to the city. The Mechanic Street property, Bryant said, which is city owned, could be put up for sale.

City Councilor Mike Sanphy raised concern about keeping the Public Services garage on its Saco Street parcel.

“I’m still not convinced this is the best location,” he said.

Sanphy said that in 1996, two nearby bridges washed out during a flood, which caused the garage to be isolated for weeks.

“It’s something we should look at real closely,” he said.

“If we want to take on a more costly project, we can,” Bryant said. “But we have the water and sewer already on the property.”

Bryant added that the city would have to purchase any alternative property, which would also raise the price.

Sanphy also said he was concerned about the $8.7 million price, although it is half of the initial proposal.

“How’s this going to affect our tax rate?” he said. “I just want to make sure we can afford this.”

Bryant said the city would bond the funds through a 20-year period.

“We’ve skinnied this down to what we’ve considered the smallest number of components of a project that will be meaningful in any fashion,” Bryant said.