FARMINGTON — The Planning Board unanimously approved a proposal presented by C.N. Brown Monday that would replace six above ground oil/gas tanks with two fiberglass, dual-wall underground storage tanks.

After many years at 115 Farmers Lane in West Farmington, the tanks will be emptied, cleaned and taken down, Kevin Moore of C.N. Brown told the board.

The tanks “are a hazard the way they are,” he said when asked about containment in case of a spill or leakage.

The advantages of underground tanks for the company include better security and less concerns about the cold of winter affecting above ground oil storage, said Farmington’s Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser before the meeting.

“The new technology of underground tanks, like those used in gas stations, has vastly improved with new sensor systems and the ability to combat rust better,” he said. “It’s better underground.”

In other business, the board listened to early plans for moving county offices into Church Street Commons, located across the street from the current court house in downtown Farmington.

This is an issue that will come before all county voters in November when they will be asked to support a bond to purchase and renovate the building for all county offices except the Sheriff’s Department and Dispatch office, Noel Smith of Smith Reuter Lull Architects told the board.

After a couple years of seeking ways to expand the limited space and provide more modern conveniences for the court house offices including moving everything to the County Detention Center site, a request by the Farmington Downtown Business Association to keep the county offices downtown brought about a plan to renovate the building, he said.

“There’s a lack of space,” he said of the old courthouse, a building “that has not had a lot done to it. It’s too small for county functions and Superior Court.”

The building also presents environmental issues such as mold in the basement district attorney offices.

One drawback to finding appropriate space included finding space that would support the weight of necessary records kept by the Deeds and Probate court. A building used for autos and then printing machinery could handle the records, he said.

The building would be made handicap accessible and include an elevator with Emergency Management and the County Deeds offices on the first floor and county administrative offices and the Probate Judge offices on the second floor. A small probate courtroom would double as the county commissioners meeting room. A large basement room would provide for emergency training or use by the community, he said.

“This allows the county to stay in the same location,” he added.

A plan to build a state-of-the-art dispatch center adjacent to the county sheriff’s office would leave space for the Sheriff’s Department to expand into the current dispatch area of the white house located behind the County Detention Center, he explained.

abryant@sunjournal.com