Picking up where Selectmen left off, the School Committee unanimously voted to merge the school bus garage and the Municipal Maintenance Department at its meeting Wednesday night.

Wareham Schools Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood said that the two full-time and one part-time mechanics working for the schools would work for the town under Municipal Maintenance Director David Menard once the merger is done. She and other committee members also confirmed that the inspection, repair and maintenance of the buses would be the responsibility of the town.

"We all need to work together to deal with the budget constraints," said School Transportation Manager Jeff Tatro. "I just want buses to remain a priority considering what we transport."

The proposal calls for the  transferral of mechanics working at the school bus garage to the Municipal Maintenance Department garage, where two town mechanics work. The two garages are a short distance from each other on Charge Pond Road.

The four full-time mechanics and the part-time mechanic would then be able to do the work on all the town and school vehicles. The larger mechanic force will allow the town to be more proactive in its maintenance. This won't directly save the town a great deal of money but will greatly increase the efficiency within town government.

Tatro said his only concerns were that the buses were kept a priority and that there was proper space in the municipal maintenance garage for the bus operation. He said those concerns were settled after meeting with town officials and seeing the minor upgrades proposed at the Municipal Maintenance garage.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said that the old school bus garage would be turned over to the Harbormaster, who will be able to use it for winter storage of boats.

Shaver-Hood said there will be a joint meeting between town and school officials to determine a timeline for the merger and discuss the necessary steps for its completion.