Alna selectmen renewed their commitment to their own bidding policy November 29, in talking with Road Commissioner Jeff Verney. The talk came two weeks after Verney's predecessor Mike Trask asked if the board was still applying the policy now that he was no longer commissioner.

Selectmen took no issue with Verney's handling of the roadside brush-cutting work that Trask had brought up November 15. They said the $2,900 estimate Verney gave them meant the work didn't have to go out to bid. But they also clarified that the cost was supposed to be for all of this year's brush-cutting, not a portion to be followed by other rounds.

The town's long standing, piecemeal approach to some types of road work came under fire a few years ago, and helped lead the current board to create the policy. The board prefers a lump estimate for each type of work for the whole year, rather than a series of estimates in numerous rounds.

That one estimate is the board's basis for determining if the bidding policy applies. The policy calls for bids to be sought on non-emergency projects expected to cost at least $3,000.

During the November 29 discussion, Verney didn't propose brush-cutting beyond the ongoing work on Cross Road; however, his safety concerns about that road made the board wonder if the cost might exceed his estimate.

The road has visibility issues near the West Alna Road end, he said. “That's unsafe up through there. It's awful bad.”

The town is paying former selectmen Chris Cooper and David Seigars to do the work with rented equipment.

As of November 29, project costs stood at $2,263.

First Selectman David Abbott supported finishing the Cross Road work, “especially if it's a safety issue,” he said.

The board figured the road could be finished for about $300 more than first estimated, bringing the total to $3,200. They gave Verney the go-ahead but asked him to try to stick close to that figure, or lower, if possible.

“We're trying to be consistent in how we run this policy,” Second Selectman Jonathan Villeneuve said.  “I'm not reading you the riot act,” he told Verney.

Third Selectman David Reingardt said the policy was meant to address public concerns and end “in-fighting” among town officials about how projects are awarded, by having the board make the decisions. “That was the whole object,” he said.

The policy isn't binding, but selectmen have referred to it often in the nearly two years since they created it. Several residents had called for transparency after controversy erupted over Trask's handling of brush-cutting and some other work.

Trask did not run for road commissioner this year.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com