The new sand/salt shed at the New Gloucester public works complex holds up to 7,000 yards of material and allows trucks to be filled inside. Ellie Fellers photo

NEW GLOUCESTER – The new $4.6 million public works complex officially opened this week and no longer will plow truck drivers have to ditch the plows and blades to get inside.

New Gloucester Public Works Director Ted Shane, left, and interim Town Manager Paul First stand in the new $4.6 million public works garage Wednesday. Trucks can now be parked inside without having to have plows and blades removed. Ellie Fellers photo 

The facility at 611 Lewiston Road replaces the Upper Gloucester village garage and salt/sand shed.

Highway Department Director Ted Shane and interim Town Manager Paul First showed off the 22,000-square-foot garage and the domed sand/salt building Wednesday.

The mechanic’s bay can service the town’s 12 public works and eight Fire Department vehicles. No longer will plows have to be removed from trucks in order to get under cover. And sand and salt will be loaded inside the shed, which holds 7,000 cubic yards of material.

New Gloucester Public Works Director Ted Shane, left, and interim Town Manager Paul First stand in front of the new $4.6 million garage Wednesday. Public tours will be given in the spring. Ellie Fellers photo

There is LED lighting throughout the facility, shower rooms for staff and a 1000-kilowatt generator in case of power failure. Other features include a high-efficiency heat pump, a waste oil furnace, a waste oil storage tank with secondary containers to prevent spills, and a wash bay with a 20,000-gallon storage system to recycle water.

Public tours will be held in the spring.