When Alna sells its old town office, most of the money will go toward the bond payments for the new one. Also Saturday, the town set rules on false alarms and put off work on Cross Road.

Those articles all sparked debate at the annual town meeting that drew 68 voters and Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett to the fire station. Road Commissioner Jeff Verney suggested rejecting the proposal to reclaim and pave half of Cross; all at once would be a better deal, Verney reasoned. And some residents urged selectmen to add some shoulder to make that road safer to walk and bike.

"I have to pick the time of day, so I don't die on the road," cyclist Christine Anderson said. "It's beautiful. It's a great place to bike, if you don't get run over."

To that, moderator Chris Cooper said: "Alna, the way life should be, if you don't get run over. But if you do get run over, we have a lovely cemetery."

“Maybe the more affordable thing to do is find a better place to go biking,” planning board member Jeff Spinney said. He suggested Gardiner or Brunswick.

Incoming third selectman Greg Shute said from the audience, selectmen could talk with the Bike Coalition of Maine about “a long-term solution.”

Voters had just agreed to fix North Old Sheepscot Road with funds on reserve for it. The next question asked to tap highway funds and funds leftover from the North Old Sheepscot Road project to do half of Cross. The proposal lost in a show of hands. First Selectman Melissa Spinney said later, the board will ask again for a Cross Road project next year, and in the meantime will look into the cost of shoulder work.

Residents agreed to extend the cemetery's road for $10,000, put $10,000 on reserve toward fixing the fire station's parking lot, and use cable franchise fees to match a ConnectMe grant for Tidewater Telecom to expand high speed internet access. Selectman Doug Baston told voters the company is "quite confident" the project will get a grant in the next round.

Both proposed ordinances passed. One exempts some food producers from state licensing and inspection. The other sets fines for multiple false alarms. That one took about a half hour to decide, including Baston's and Brackett's arguments for it, and outgoing third selectman Ed Pentaleri's reiterating of his liability concern for the town over one part.

Pentaleri said if Alna sets a model for other towns, it should get it right the first time. Some residents wondered if Alna has enough false alarms to warrant an ordinance. Fred Bowers said false alarms could impact deputies' response times to emergencies.

As for the town office sale, Brittney Morgan Bardo said she understood when the town approved replacing the town office, the plan was to apply the sale money toward that debt. Selectmen said the bond has no early payoff, and the new building still has costs ahead including handicapped parking.

Voters gave 75 percent of the sale money to bond payments; the rest toward finishing the modular town office and property.

At the polls Friday, voters went with Baston, the outgoing third selectman, over former selectman Les Fossel, 180-58, for second selectman. In results Town Clerk Liz Brown emailed Friday night, Shute, the lone candidate on the ballot for third selectman, got in with 208 votes. Verney, also unopposed, was reelected road commissioner with 214 votes. Brown swore them all in after town meeting.