ATTLEBORO - The city is not likely to dump plans to put the new public works yard on Lamb Street, although officials are looking at an industrial site on Walton Street, Mayor Kevin Dumas says.

"We're doing our due diligence. You never known when you might find a diamond in the rough," Dumas said.

"But I think it's very unlikely that we'll change. We haven't set our sights on anywhere other than Lamb Street, and we plan to move forward with that venture."

The mayor said the size and expense of the Walton site, the former location of a coin company, are both negative factors.

He made his comments Wednesday. Tuesday night, City Councilor Peter Blais said the administration was "aggressively" investigating the Walton site.

Other councilors previously said the property is "worth a look."

While it's a better location than one in the Attleboro Corporate Campus suggested by the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority, the purchase price alone of more than $3 million would devour the budget of $2.3 million allocated by federal funding sources to move the public works yard, Dumas said.

With the city and the rest of Massachusetts anticipating significant financial problems next year because of the national economic crisis, no local money will be spent on the project, he said.

The site, which has a 128,000-square-foot building and 6.8 acres is assessed at $4.1 million.

While the ARA suggested the city pursue construction of a combination DPW, fire and police station, Dumas said there's no money available for such a project, and a 128,000 square foot building is too big for a DPW alone.

A new public works garage is expected to be about 39,000 square feet. The city-owned Lamb Street site is about 10 acres, but is constricted by wetlands and underground pollution.

The DPW is being moved from its current Wall Street home to make way for a massive downtown revitalization project run by the ARA and funded mostly with federal dollars.