LOWELL | Times may be tight, but the town needs to protect its investment in equipment, officials say, so the Town Council gave the go-ahead recently to seek bids to erect a garage.

Public Works Director Greg Shook told the council replacing the leaking roof on the existing Liberty Street garage would cost $50,000. It would be more practical to spend about $150,000 for a new, larger building, he said.

One way to pay for the project, Shook said, would be to sell the former water treatment/iron removal plant on Liberty Street. In August, the town of Schneider expressed interest in buying the plant's oxidation tower, but has since withdrawn any offers.

Since the proposed building would house both water and sewer department equipment, the cost could be split between those two utilities, Shook said.

Demolition of the present garage could be handled by town crews, Shook said, but noted aspects of the project, such as plumbing, must be done by licensed professionals since it is a public building.

Clerk/Treasurer Judy Walters put all capital projects on hold until receipt of the certified 2008 budget, which came earlier this month.