For the time being, when a stretch of Whitefield’s Bailey Road near the Alna line needs plowing, Alna’s contractor will plow it, Alna Third Selectman Doug Baston said.

The two towns’ boards of selectmen worked out the plan Nov. 24 during their first, in-person talks about the stretch that Alna’s Bailey Road residents and others take to get to Route 218 in Whitefield, Baston said. Alna selectmen sought the talks in an attempt to ensure Bailey Road never hits a dead end in Whitefield.

“If a storm comes, in good faith we would assume the plowing,” he said.

Seth Hagar, co-owner of Alna’s plowing contractor Hagar Enterprises of Damariscotta, said Oct. 21 that the firm would not charge Alna for plowing the extra roadway.

In addition to the immediate plan for Alna to keep the Whitefield stretch cleared of snow, the boards also agreed to work toward a possible deal the boards could consider taking to their towns’ annual town meetings, Baston said.

“They understand our issue, and they agreed to work with us.”

A contract would lay out steps that would apply if Whitefield looks at discontinuing the road, he said. Baston described the discussion as cordial; Whitefield Selectmen’s Chairman Dennis Merrill agreed. Interviewed separately, Merrill said it was a good meeting, and that Whitefield selectmen decided unanimously to support the concept of working on an agreement with Alna.

“It’s a first step,” Merrill said.

Now the Whitefield board will wait to see what Alna’s board drafts for a proposal, he said.

The future of Bailey Road in Whitefield has been a topic in Alna for years, Alna selectmen have said. The concern has been that the owner of a nearby gravel pit could one day seek to expand the pit and ask Whitefield to discontinue part of the road, they said.

In June, Alna resident Ralph Hilton, noting the pit had a new owner, raised the issue to the board. Selectmen agreed to contact Whitefield. Baston reported back that Merrill felt a handshake deal would be enough to ensure the road doesn’t become a dead end. But Hilton and Alna selectmen said a written deal would hold Whitefield’s future select boards to it. The Nov. 24 meeting in Whitefield was the two boards’ first joint discussion on the matter.

The pit’s longtime owner, Harry C. Crooker & Sons, was sold in 2014 and became Crooker Construction. Attempts to seek comment from the business about the pit have been unsuccessful; however, as in June, Merrill said Nov. 25 that he is not aware of any interest having been expressed in expanding the pit.

A dead end can impact emergency service and school bus routes, Merrill said. Moving the road might be one alternative to look at if the pit did expand, he said. Another road near the pit was relocated years ago, he added.

In addition to getting started on a possible agreement, the talk about the road got the two boards together, which is something all boards of neighboring towns should do more of, Baston said. He liked it when Wiscasset Selectmen’s Chairman Ben Rines Jr. and Vice Chairman Judy Flanagan recently attended an Alna selectmen’s meeting to talk about the Federal Street, Wiscasset weight limit.

Alna borders several towns — Wiscasset, Dresden, Jefferson, Newcastle, Whitefield and Pittston, Baston noted.

“Unfortunately, we all get so consumed in our own little vacuums, but we actually have lots of things in common.”