Leaving the cape

Alna prepares to move next door
Wed, 04/10/2019 - 11:30am

Alna Town Clerk Liz Brown and Deputy Clerk Lynette Eastman might miss the town office cape a little for its character, but the one-time home wasn't designed to be a town office, and they won't miss that, they said.

Working in it Friday, a week before the move into the new, modular town office next door, the two said they were looking forward to the setup that makes more sense for serving people.

And they're looking forward to the sun beaming in.

The modular has a lot of windows in the office and meeting areas. A daylight basement has a room that houses the town's archives. They arrived from the cape's vault near the end of March.

Some other records have already arrived, but most materials will have to stay at the cape through April 10. "We still need them," Brown said.

After the last day doing business Wednesday, April 10 and a selectmen's meeting that night, officials and volunteers will be in move mode. Chris Cooper has worked with fellow resident Ralph Hilton and others to finish making the modular an office. As of Friday, three ramps and two of the three decks remained to be built, and some finish and trim were needed inside and out, Cooper said. The move was set due to a date Tidewater Telecom could do the phone and internet, he said. “So this will be adequate to move into April 11 and operate. And after they are moved in, additional work can be done on nights and weekends.”

How is First Selectman Melissa Spinney feeling about the move? “Stressed,” she said in email responses to questions from the Wiscasset Newspaper Friday. “A lot to move. A lot of stuff to line up so we can be open for business on Tuesday (April 16).” She and husband Jeff Spinney will probably use his truck  to help move items. Second Selectman Doug Baston and Third Selectman Greg Shute will help, too, she said.

Plenty of other residents will also be volunteering, Cooper said. "We're a community of well-intentioned, good-natured, active citizens, rallying ... to make this come together," he said.

The modular came with a broken window, Spinney said. The town needs KBS Building Systems to replace it, she said. Cooper and Hilton fixed the doors that had been hung wrong, and the two repaired some cracks, she said. 

The cape will probably go on the market, for sale by owner, a few weeks after the move, Spinney said. Asked about an asking price, Spinney responded: “Probably starting at $100,000, but still need to finalize.”
 
Any prospective buyers? “Not yet.”
 
This spring, the town will start an all-volunteer community garden and food pantry at the new town office, Spinney announced in a town email Friday. A refrigerator has been donated; anyone's donation of time or goods would be greatly appreciated, the email states.