By Abigail W. Adams
Alna selectmen Jonathan Villeneuve, David Abbott, and David Reingardt convene March 11 for one of their final board meetings before Alna’s annual town meeting Saturday, March 21. Villenueve, Alna’s Second Selectman, will complete his term on the board and step down. There will be a contest for the third selectman’s seat, currently held by Reingardt. (Abigail Adams photo) |
Alna residents will vote on several contentious matters at their town meeting, most notably warrant articles that will test public support for the selectmen’s multi-year
snowplowing contract with Hagar Enterprises. The meeting will convene at the fire station at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 21.
The results of a third selectman race between incumbent David Reingardt and challenger Doug Baston will also be announced. The relatively quiet contest recently took
a negative turn with e-mails from residents circulating through Alna that questioned Baston’s position on school choice.
Both Reingardt and Baston maintain they are pro-school choice for Alna.
The polls will be open for the municipal election at the fire station from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, March 20.
Voters will also elect a second selectman, treasurer, road commissioner, and RSU 12 director, all with only one candidate.
Melissa Spinney is running for the second selectman seat. Barbara Baston is seeking re-election to the RSU 12 board, Jeff Verney is seeking re-election as road
commissioner, and Aaron Miller is seeking re-election as treasurer.
Voters on Friday will also elect a new moderator to lead the Saturday, March 21 town meeting.
Chris Cooper, Alna’s longtime moderator, has said he is not available to serve as moderator. Carl Pease, an experienced moderator from Windsor, has offered to stand
in but must be elected on Friday to serve.
Voters will gather Saturday to collectively and in open forum decide the remaining 41 warrant articles. Selectmen are recommending voters approve raising $713,597 in
taxes to devote to municipal activities.
The amount selectmen are requesting is an $85,832 increase from the previous year’s raised amount of $627,765.
Causes for the increase can be found in principal and interest payments for Alna’s new fire truck, new Trio software for town accounting, a new reserve account to
accumulate funds for the eventual repair of North Old Sheepscot Road, increased funding for town building maintenance, and an increase in snow removal costs.
Alna’s new fire truck is scheduled to arrive later this year. According to article 24, selectmen recommend raising $54,389 for payments for the first full year of
the loan on the truck. The loan will have a remaining principal of $222,742.86.
Selectmen are recommending raising $10,000 to install new Trio software at the town office for accounting in warrant article 17. According to Town Clerk Amy Warner
and Treasurer Aaron Miller, the current system used by Alna is outdated.
Selectmen recommend raising $15,000 in warrant article 29 to create the North Old Sheepscot Road reserve account for repairs to North Old Sheepscot Road.
Selectmen also recommend increasing funds for the maintenance of the town building to $15,000 in warrant article 36.
The most contentious warrant articles in Alna will be related to Alna’s snowplowing contract.
Alna selectmen agreed to enter into a three-year contract with Hagar Enterprises Inc., of Damariscotta, in summer 2014 after placing the contract out to bid. Hagar
was the sole bidder. Alna’s snowplowing contractor for the previous five years, Hanley Construction Inc., of Bristol, did not submit a bid.
The contract with Hagar Enterprises was an increase from Alna’s previous contract with Hanley Construction. In an unruly special town meeting in August, held to
raise additional funds for the snowplowing contract, voters, led by Alna Fire Chief Mike Trask, voted to end the contract with Hagar and re-enter into a contract with Hanley.
The motion and vote were determined invalid by a Maine Municipal Association attorney. However, the attorney also determined that selectmen could not enter into
multi-year contracts without voter approval.
Selectmen will ask for voter approval at the town meeting. Warrant articles 20 through 22 will ask voters to approve each of Alna’s three multi-year contracts.
Article 22 will ask voters to “approve the actions of Selectmen with regard to a Snow Removal and Sanding Contract with Hagar Enterprises.”
Voters will later be asked in warrant article 32 to appropriate $240,071 for snow removal and salt and sand to cover the second year of Alna’s contract with Hagar
Enterprises. The requested appropriation is a $44,833 increase from the previous year.
Voter response to the two warrant articles will settle a debate that has been waged, at times quietly and at times contentiously, since August.
Voters will also be asked if they want Alna to develop an ordinance to regulate the discharge of fireworks in article 42.
