Davis County to build weatherization training center

FARMINGTON (Deseret News) — To teach residents how to prepare their homes for cold weather, Davis County plans to build a training center inside a warehouse in Clearfield's Freeport Center.

Tuesday, commissioners awarded a contract to West Jordan-based Onyx Construction to build 7,176 square feet of classroom, office and training space inside the warehouse.

Onyx had the lowest of 10 bids for the project at $289,900, said Marshall Scott, Davis County's facilities manager.

The training center and office for Tri-County Weatherization Assistance Program, which serves Weber, Davis and Morgan counties, will contain a mockup of a home inside so weatherization employees can practice installing furnaces, heat exchangers, windows and other measures designed to reduce the energy cost for low-income families.

The services are free to qualifying families, and Tri-County Weatherization manager Ian Spangenberg, said he expects to see an increase in the number of families being served and in the number of weatherization employees who need training.

Spangenberg said two groups have already had training sessions at the office, and he expects about 400 people a year to receive training.

Scott said he expects construction at the office to be completed by the end of 2009.

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