The cold weather isn’t doing Lansford borough any favors, and it could prove costly if a grant for a new borough garage isn’t successful.

Councilman Joseph Butrie reported problems with the streets equipment and vehicles due to the cold, and their storage inside the current garage.

“The cold down there is destroying the equipment and the batteries,” he said during his public works committee meeting Tuesday. “No matter if we have them on a trickle charger or not. It’s destroying them.

“It’s actually colder inside the garage than it is outside,” Butrie said.

Borough workers placed batteries on trickle chargers, plugged in vehicles and still are having problems. The borough has multiple batteries for the vehicles and they’re one or two years old, he said.

“The cold down there is destroying everything,” Butrie said.

The massive stone building along Dock Street isn’t insulated, with towering ceilings and lots of gaps that allow heat to escape and cold air to get inside.

Council President Bruce Markovich said an estimate to insulate the building years ago came in at $500,000.

Butrie also reported issues with running heaters inside the garage with the high cost of fuel and kerosene, he said, and a portable heater recently malfunctioned.

“We almost had to call an ambulance,” Butrie said. “It got that bad in there.”

The crews shut off the heater and opened the doors to bring in fresh air, he said.

The borough has sought a new garage for years, but was unsuccessful with obtaining a $1 million gaming grant last year. Communities across the state competed for the $345 million available, and Carbon County only received $3.4 million of the gaming pot in the last round.

The borough submitted another application for grant funding for the garage late last year, seeking $800,000 and hoping to increase its chances by contributing $200,000 to the project.

Butrie said they can’t wait any longer for new garage, pointing out that they’ve been waiting on a new garage for 12 years.

Councilwoman Michele Bartek asked Markovich what else they could do, and he suggested seeking a low-interest loan from the state to fund the project.

The borough will wait to see if the borough gets the grant later this year. The grants should be announced by August or September, Markovich said.

If the borough is unsuccessful again, council can pursue a 2.5% low-interest loan to cover the $800,000 portion, and put the $200,000 down, he said.