Alna Fire Department’s members are open to talking over the idea of the town office moving across Route 218 to the fire station, the department’s president Kathy Zuppa said, Wednesday, Nov. 4.

“There’s a lot of things to discuss,” Zuppa told selectmen. She, selectmen and resident Ralph Hilton mulled the idea when Hilton raised it Oct. 7.

On Nov. 4, Zuppa reiterated earlier comments that the move could save on heating and other costs. However, she and selectmen anticipated renovations would be needed for the station to house the town office and still meet the department’s needs.

Spending on the renovations would take town meeting approval, as would selling the town office, selectmen said. The board has discussed possibly asking the town to sell the building and two of the property’s 12 acres.

After hearing her update, selectmen asked Zuppa to have a couple of department representatives contact the town about meeting with them.

“We can do that. However you want to pursue it,” she said.  The department could provide a sketch to help in the discussions, she said.

“We should start with that, with what you need for room,” Third Selectman Doug Baston said.

The sketch would show a new space that could be added to a side of the station to replace the downstairs space that the town would have, Zuppa explained later.

The current town office was formerly a home. A smaller space would be better, Town Clerk Amy Warner said.

“It would be nice, because there’s just way too much room here, and the problem with too much room is it gets cluttery, instead of keeping the good things,” Warner said.

The board briefly discussed possibly having the current town office looked at for any work it would need if it went on the market.

Reaching out to Washington County again

The fire truck the town recently replaced may wind up in Washington County, where Alna recently sent a defibrillator. The defibrillator went to the nonprofit Pleasant River Ambulance Service after Alna’s First Responders program ended. The town has sought bids on CraigsList, but Baston also contacted Washington County and was told that Robbinston and another town might be able to share the truck.

Whether the board goes with a bid, or sells the 1986 GMC truck to the Washington County towns for whatever they’re able to pay, will depend on how high the bids come in, Alna selectmen said.

“We can weigh between the revenue for the town and the benefit to the communities (in Washington County),” Abbott said. “If we’re not going to make money that’s going to be significant, it might make sense to help them.”

Towns should help one another, just as they do with mutual aid in emergencies, selectmen said.

The town’s online ad reserved the right to reject all bids, Baston said.

Two have come in. “We don’t know if they’re $5 or $5,000,” he said. Bids will be opened Dec. 2.

“I’m kind of hoping for some really low bids, so that it won’t be a tough decision,” Baston said.