Generator at Alna fire station takes a knock

Mon, 02/16/2015 - 4:00pm

The generator at the Alna Fire Station was tipped onto its side when the town’s plowing contractor Hagar Enterprises was using a back hoe to move snow on Feb. 6, Fire Chief Mike Trask said.

Only minor electrical and other work was needed to make the generator available again for use, Trask told selectmen on Feb. 11.

“No real big damage .... We put it back in place,” Trask said. “It was back online shortly after it happened. I don’t think this is any big issue.” Trask turned in an electrician’s $128 bill and said other, minor work will be needed in the spring to fix some broken couplings and pipe.

The generator, which sits near the parking lot’s south side on Route 218, powers the station during power outages; the fire department keeps the station open during outages for residents to get warm, fill water buckets, and use the kitchen, restroom and shower.

Seth Hagar, a co-owner of Hagar Enterprises, said Feb. 13 that the generator was not visible when a worker for the Damariscotta firm was stacking snow to make room for more snow and keep the parking area clear for the department. Trask had not informed the firm that the generator was in that location, Hagar said.

This is Hagar Enterprises’ first year plowing Alna’s roads and the fire station parking lot. During Trask’s discussion with selectmen on Feb. 11, Road Commissioner Jeff Verney suggested the fire department consider a flag for the generator to help it be seen.