RUTLAND — A year and a half after a fire destroyed a building at 22360 Card Road, officials at Waste Management in Rutland spent this week putting the final touches on a replacement structure.
District Manager Cynthia L. Waterson said the company started using the new building in January but had left the final site work until the weather warmed.
"Now it's all starting to come together," Mrs. Waterson said. "We have all of the newest, latest, greatest tools and equipment and space and storage. It's a wonderful experience."
The final price tag for the structure and replacement equipment was more than $1 million, Mrs. Waterson said.
In January 2007, three garbage trucks, a front-end loader used for plowing and numerous tools were destroyed in an evening fire.
The 13 fire departments dispatched to the scene were able to save one garbage truck inside the building. The subzero temperatures caused water pumps to freeze, hampering the firefighting effort.
Mrs. Waterson said the cause of the fire was traced to a faulty furnace that was due to be replaced the next day. The fire destroyed the old and new furnaces.
The facility, a branch of Waste Management Inc., Houston, Texas, was fully insured.
Following the destruction of the building, Waste Management borrowed equipment from other New York locations and put three new garbage trucks on order, Mrs. Waterson said. The trucks and a new front-end loader arrived a short time later.
The company also spent some time searching for a piece of property that was "move-in ready," she said.
None of the available garage space was large enough to accommodate the 14- to 20-foot clearance that Waste Management needed for its vehicles, Mrs. Waterson said.
Ultimately, the company hired ConTech Building Systems, Gouverneur, to build a new building with features to expedite the job of maintaining trucks.
The replacement structure, where two mechanics work, features four bays that open at either end, so their operators can drive straight through, rather than backing out of the garage.
The building, which increased in size from 4,800 square feet to 9,900 square feet, has a heating system built into the floor and lubing systems overhead.
"We're finding more efficiencies in our operation," Mrs. Waterson said. "I don't think that the older building was conducive to a lot of those types of features. We really didn't have the space."
The new structure was outfitted with alarm systems, but not a fire suppression system, since connections to municipal water were not available.
"Once in the new building, we can actually look back and realize that we're in a better spot today than we were before the fire," Mrs. Waterson said. "It has turned into a blessing of sorts."
