The town of Franklin Highway Department garage is seen Dec. 8, a day after a fire destroyed the building and all the town’s serviceable plow trucks. (Enterprise photo — Griffin Kelly)

VERMONTVILLE — The state offered surplus equipment to the town of Franklin Highway Department for temporary use after a fire destroyed the town garage and all of its plow trucks in December.

The state Department of Transportation sent multiple heavy machines to Franklin, including a loader from the DOT’s Watertown region, a service truck from its Buffalo region and three snowplows: two from the Syracuse region and one from the Utica region.

The push for state equipment was spearheaded by state Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Plattsburgh. Toward the end of December, Jones got the town $500,000 in state funds to help rebuild the highway department; the town should receive the money in about a year. Town Highway Superintendent Jacques Demars said Jones asked if he wanted surplus state equipment, too.

“I absolutely wanted it,” Demars said in a phone interview Friday. “Billy is a real Johnny-on-the-spot.”

“For any town, the loss of snowplows in the middle of winter is a huge burden that threatens the safety of our roads,” Jones said in a press release. “I’ve worked tirelessly with local leaders and statewide officials to secure funding to replace plows and repair the Franklin County Highway Department garage.”

The fire at the garage on state Route 3 started in the afternoon on Saturday, Dec. 7. Multiple area volunteer fire departments responded, and took them about five hours to fully extinguish the flames. By Sunday, some of the garage’s walls were still standing, but the roof had completely caved in, and all the town’s serviceable plow trucks were destroyed. Cutting edges for plows, hydraulic fittings and other replacement parts were also gone.

Then-town Supervisor Arthur Willman called it a total loss.

There’s still no official cause for the fire determined yet, Demars said. He said it would cost more than $2 million to replace everything.

Neighboring communities quickly came to Franklin’s aid. The town received trucks from Plattsburgh’s, Santa Clara’s and Chateaugay’s town highway departments, and the town of St. Armand shared garage and storage space. The town of Clinton donated a basket with shop towels and a grease gun.

The Tri-Lakes area has experienced a few winter storms in the month since the fire, and Demars said that requires extra effort to maintain safe roadways.

“It’s tough, but the men are persevering and were going to keep tackling what we need to,” he said. “We’re dealing with breakdowns and repairs as we go.”

By mid-December, the Franklin Town Council approved emergency spending to replace the plow trucks.

Demars said the plan is to buy five fully suited plow trucks from Tenco in February. Each one is expected to cost $220,000 and be paid for by the town’s insurance provider In the press release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, “We are all New Yorkers and we don’t hesitate to help each other in difficult times.”

State Sen. Betty Little added, “In the North Country, neighbors help neighbors. But in this case, with the need being so great following the devastating fire, it is wonderful to see the State of New York being that good neighbor and providing the equipment that the Town of Franklin Highway Department needs to keep their roads plowed and safe for travel.”