NEWPORT — The Selectboard granted the school district preliminary approval for an addition at the public works garage where the district leases space for school buses.

In a 3-2 vote Monday, the Selectboard accepted a floor plan from school Superintendent Donna Magoon for an addition that will be used by the district’s transportation workers for meetings. The addition would be attached to the public works garage on the east end with a doorway connecting it with the bus area, according to the floor plan presented to the board.

Magoon said the district wanted an initial OK from the Selectboard before spending money on engineered plans.

Board members Jeff Kessler, Jeff North and Herb Tellor Jr. supported the motion to accept the floor plan, saying the plan was sufficient in their view and they would rely on professionals and town officials, including the building inspector, to approve complete plans.

But Selectboard Chairman Jim Burroughs and board member Bert Spaulding voted against the motion, saying they wanted more detailed plans on the exact location of the building, as well as information on its dimensions, electrical and foundation materials.

“I’m being asked to sign off on a concept to move the project forward but I can’t get my head around the full image of what it will look like,” Burroughs said.

As the stewards of town property, the board should be aware of what is being built before agreeing to it, Spaulding said. He called the floor plan “inadequate.”

Kessler disagreed, saying it is not the board’s role to review detailed plans.

School officials plan to work with the planning and zoning office and the building inspector to ensure that the building is designed to meet all codes, Magoon said.