Calvin Beaumier of Lisbon is the new road commissioner for the towns of Durham and Pownal, Durham town officials announced Friday.

Beaumier will be leaving his job as director of public works in Dixfield to take the position left vacant when Shawn Bennett announced in February he was leaving to work elsewhere. Beaumier will assume his new duties on May 26. He will be paid $57,000 a year, with 60 percent of that paid by Durham and the balance by Pownal.

Ron Dube, foreman of the Durham Department of Public Works, and Scott Seaver, administrator in Pownal, had shared the road commissioner’s duties in the interim.

Jeff Wakeman, chairman of the Durham Board of Selectmen, said that Beaumier was one of four finalists the board interviewed. They made the choice two weeks ago, but delayed the announcement until Beaumier returned a signed acceptance.

“We were impressed with his experience and thought he would be a good fit for the town,” Wakeman said.

Beaumier, 48, said he looks forward to working closer to home. In his Dixfield job, he rented a place there in the winter.

“I like the small-town character,” said Beaumier. “And we’ve got less mountains. Being down where it’s flatter is going to be a step in the right direction.”

Beaumier, who is from Gorham, has been public works director in Dixfield for five years. Prior to that, he was a wireless zoning analyst for a telecommunications company.

“I got to know Lisbon when I built a cell phone tower there,” he said.

Bennett had been road commissioner in Pownal since 2003. When Durham started its own Department of Public Works last year, he became road commissioner for both towns. Durham picked up 60 percent of Bennett’s $65,000 salary because it has more road mileage to cover.

Calvin Beaumier