Approval by city council Tuesday night of the replacement of five garage doors at the public works building is part of an ongoing efficiency effort, department Director Larry Chalker said today.

The total budget for the project is $32,000, according to a memo contained in the city council work session agenda package. Funding of $11,000 is coming from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and $21,000 is being funded through a USDA loan.

The overhead doors are insulated, Chalker said. “It makes them more efficient and will improve working conditions.”

The current doors, he said, came with the building and mean temperature swings within the garage. The new doors will help the city’s waste oil heater be more efficient, too. “It will make that last longer.”

Chalker describes the efforts to make city buildings more energy efficient as a work in progress.

In city hall, which was bought from what is now Dominion Power, the building was rife with inefficient light fixtures, Chalker said. “We upgraded to higher efficiency lighting.”

The hallway of the police and the detective division is good way to judge the improvements. The hallway still has the old system while the detective division has the new lighting.

Back at public works, staff has made better use of heating and air conditioning, using a heat pump in the office. “It makes it much more efficient,” said Chalker, who is hoping to see 35 percent to 40 percent in savings.