POWNAL – Durham and Pownal have agreed to make it official – they will share the services of a single road commissioner.

At a combined meeting of both the Pownal and Durham selectmen in Pownal on July 12, the two boards unanimously agreed to a one-year contract to have Pownal Road Commissioner Shawn Bennett serve in the same capacity in Durham.

The contract formalizes an arrangement that has been going on for several months. Bennett, who has been with the town of Pownal as road commissioner for 10 years, has served as the interim road commissioner in Durham since mid-February. The contract between the two towns for Bennett’s services runs through June 30, 2013.

Bennett said Monday he thought the move to share the position was a good one.

“(Durham and Pownal are) two very similar towns, with similar roadway infrastructure,” he said. “I have full confidence it will work.”

Bennett will remain a full-time employee of the town of Pownal and he will be considered an agent of the town of Durham. His $60,000 annual salary will be divided on a 60-40 split between the two towns, with Durham picking up the larger portion.

“(Durham) is paying Pownal for my services,” Bennett said.

Durham Administrative Assistant Janet Smith said the ratio was determined on the total road miles in the two towns, and since Durham has more miles of road, approximately 45 as opposed to Pownal’s 38, Durham was assessed the greater share of the cost.

Jeff Wakeman, the chairman of the Durham selectmen, said that he has been happy with the arrangement since Bennett came on board as interim commissioner, and he has high hopes for the future.

“From everything we’ve seen, it’s worked out great,” he said. “Both boards feel quite good about the whole situation.”

Pownal Selectman Tim Giddings was also supportive of the arrangement. “I think it’s great,” he said.

Bennett said a road commissioner serves basically the same function as a director of public works. He said he is responsible for the planning and execution of all road projects in the two towns. He is also responsible for overseeing Pownal’s three full-time public works employees and Durham’s two part-time employees. Since Durham doesn’t have a full-time public works crew, the town typically uses outside contractors for larger projects, and he will be responsible for dealing with those contractors, as well.

While he would be overseeing employees in both towns, Bennett said there are no plans to combine the two departments into one.

“This (arrangement) is strictly for the road commissioner,” he said.

Giddings said the arrangement could lead to both Pownal and Durham working together on other projects.

“We’re hoping this leads to more collaboration in the future,” he said. “It’s the first step in a good direction.”

Wakeman said he believed the arrangement could lead to more cost savings for both towns down the road.

“That’s what we’re anticipating,” he said. “By combining Durham and Pownal, we can purchase things together and get better costs.”