DURHAM – The fledgling Durham Public Works Department may soon have a home, as selectmen have entered into formal negotiations to purchase 14 acres at 1099 Royalsborough Road, the location of Copp Excavating.

The decision came after a recommendation from Alice McPeake, representing the Public Works Facilities Committee, during an Aug. 13 board meeting. McPeake initially suggested the Royalsborough Road property and a smaller, 10-acre lot on Hallowell Road as possibilities.

“The committee did site visits at both properties and considered the cost of the sites, including buildings and proposed buildings,’ said McPeake. “The properties were price comparably.”

In the end, the board decided to pursue the Copp property, which include a heated garage of 5,000 square feet, 1,036 square feet of office space, a 576-square-foot parts room and a 1,052-square-foot apartment.

While the Hallowell Road property will be considered a Plan B, the existing infrastructure was attractive, said facilities committee member Mark Blake, who told the board, “Apples to apples, the (Royalsborough) property gives you a little more.”

“Another consideration of the Copp property was that it’s fully approved and permitted, “ said McPeake.

After hearing McPeake’s recommendation, selectmen went into an executive session and then, in public session, decided to enter into formal negotiations with Copp Excavating to purchase the property. The estimated cost of the Copp Excavating property was not provided by McPeake or the board, which was expected to discuss the next steps during an executive session Aug. 27.

No one from Copp Excavating returned a call for comment by the Tri-Town Weekly’s deadline Monday.

Finding a location for the Public Works Department represents the first major development for the nearly $3 million project. Residents approved the creation of a Public Works Department during town meeting April 6. The town now uses outside contractors to handle major road projects, including snow plowing, culvert replacement, road repair and other capital improvements.

Under the proposed plan for the department, the town would go from having a shared road commissioner and two part-time employees to having a road commissioner, a working foreman, a mechanic/equipment operator, a second equipment operator, two truck drivers/laborers and four part-time seasonal plow operators.

Preliminary numbers outlined by a Durham Public Works Feasibility Study would have the town purchasing six plow-equipped dump trucks, two 1-ton trucks, a loader/backhoe, an excavator and a 20-ton equipment trailer, with an estimated cost of $1.4 million for new equipment.

If the town does purchase the estimated $1.4 million in new equipment, the cost to taxpayers would be roughly $164,000 a year through a 10-year bond.

The study committee provided an estimate of $150,000 for the land, $1.1 million for the garage, an additional $100,000 for a second out building, $50,000 for a 3,000-gallon, above-ground fuel depot and $15,000 for a back-up generator, for a total cost of slightly more than $1.4 million. To lessen the immediate burden to taxpayers, the committee recommended spreading out the cost through a 20-year bond at 3.5 percent increase for a total annual payment of $99,000.

The committee pegged the overall cost of a town-operated Public Works budget, including loan payments, at $1.2 million.