PALMYRA – What once was a farm and most recently had been used as a gravel pit and sand depot may soon become the largest truck-stop facility in Maine.

Town officials confirmed this week that property locally known as the Brackett Farm, just off Interstate 95 in Palmyra, is being privately tested for water and soils quality by Irving Oil Corp. of New Brunswick, which reportedly is planning to move its Newport facility over the town line.

Well-digging equipment has been seen at the former farm for more than a week.

Although an Irving spokeswoman wouldn’t confirm the move, the new, greatly expanded facility reportedly would be a stop and refueling center for up to 400 trucks daily and would include a store and restaurant.

Newport town officials, Town Manager James Ricker, Thomas Todd of the Newport Water District, and Dan Stevens of the Newport Sanitary District confirmed this week that preliminary discussions have been under way about the project, including whether Newport could extend water and sewer services to the facility.

Palmyra does not have such services, and Newport’s selectmen and town manager held a lengthy discussion Wednesday night on what the move would mean to Newport.

The chairman of the Palmyra planning board, Victor Bissell Jr., said Thursday that no one from Irving has approached the board yet about siting the facility.

“I’ve only heard rumors, just like everyone else,” he said.

Irving Oil Corp. would not comment on its plans.

Michelle Firmbach, Irving’s representative for U.S. operations, provided only a one-sentence statement Friday.

“We are always looking for opportunities to grow our business and serve our customers better, but we don’t comment on rumors of potential acquisition or divestitures,” she said Friday.

The land at the location that Newport water and sewer officials identified as the proposed location is owned by Bennoch Road Associates Inc. of Orono. Calls for information to partner Ralph Leonard were not returned Thursday or Friday.

Irving Oil is a family owned and privately held regional energy processing, transporting and marketing company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick. The company has more than 7,000 employees, 800 retail sites, operations from 31 marine terminals, and a delivery fleet of marine-product tankers and tractor-trailer trucks.

Irving also operates Canada’s largest refinery, producing more than 300,000 barrels of gasoline, diesel, home heating oil, jet fuel and other propane daily.

The difference between the existing and proposed sites is dramatic, even though they are just a few hundred feet from each other. Newport has organized police and fire departments and a medical rescue service. Palmyra has none of those services but contracts with Newport to provide them.

The Triangle in Newport’s business district is crowded, and the roads are narrow, making it difficult for tractor-trailers to turn and navigate. The proposed site has few neighbors and no streetlights, and is surrounded by trees.

Irving currently pays nearly $20,000 a year in property taxes to Newport, but town officials were confident that property will quickly be purchased and developed.

“I just hope it’s not another restaurant,” Selectman John Buckland said Wednesday.

Property at the Triangle business district, which Newport shares with Palmyra, is at a premium. The Triangle is at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Routes 2, 11, 100 and 7 – all major routes through the state. Two decades ago, a lone diner, a gas station and a real estate office were among the few businesses in the area.

Today there are dozens of businesses, including Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, Rite Aid, three shopping plazas, two car dealerships, and a soon to be built Pizza Hut. Development has sprawled outward from the congested intersection down Routes 2 and 7.

The lack of water and sewer services, however, is hampering Newport’s ability to compete, Town Manager James Ricker said Wednesday.

“Obviously, we’d like to see development spread up Route 7,” rather than locate across the town line in Palmyra, he said. “We need to start looking towards the future. Route 7 is zoned commercial. Don’t we want to deliver services to it?”

Newport Water District Superintendent Thomas Todd said the district’s 600 customers cannot afford to install water mains on speculations.

“Either the town would have to pay for such an expansion or they would have to entice a business to Newport that would be willing to pay for it themselves,” Todd said. He estimated the water service expansion alone could cost at least a half-million dollars.