Nicole Moore of Wiscasset doesn’t expect a large sum for the land she’s trying to sell near Alna’s Bog Road. But without a deed from Alna turning a share of the property over to her, Moore said she has had trouble selling it.

One near-sale has already fallen through, according to Moore and her partner Raymond Lemar. On Jan. 15, the two, along with Moore’s lawyer, asked Alna selectmen for help undoing something a prior Alna board of selectmen did: turning half the property over to Glenwood Rines, six years after he died.

Rines and his brother William Rines had owned the property together before the town got it for unpaid taxes, town officials said. When the back taxes were paid, the board signed it back over to them. That was in 2001. But Glenwood Rines died in 1995, so the transfer to him doesn’t count and the town still owns his half, the town’s attorney David Soule has told selectmen.

Moore said that William Rines, her grandfather, believing he was the sole owner, said if the taxes were paid off, she could have it. Her parents Sue and Ed Moore paid them, Nicole Moore said.

Until a couple of years ago, she was planning to put a home there; now, after paying taxes for years on it, she wants to sell. One option for cementing her ownership is a form of title work that might run $10,000, which could be twice what she gets for the property, according to Moore, Lemar and Moore’s attorney Nathaniel Hussey. That could be avoided if selectmen issue Moore a deed, they said.

“It’s an odd situation,” Hussey said. “We’re not in a typical tax-acquired property situation anymore.”

Second Selectman Jonathan Villeneuve told Moore he believed what she was saying regarding her family, but that the board needed to consult again with Soule.

“I just think we need to dot our i’s and cross our t’s .... We’ll get it figured out,” Villeneuve said.

Abbott said he would contact Soule; the lawyer is out of his office until Jan. 22, Abbott said.

“We’re not trying to hold anything up. We just don’t want to get into  trouble,” he told Moore.

The board first discussed Moore’s deed request after receiving a letter from Hussey in November. Selectmen consulted Soule, then decided to wait until Moore had the legal issues further worked out before signing a deed. Selectmen have expressed no interest in the town keeping its share of the property.

Hussey said outside the meeting that he appreciated the board’s willingness to listen to them about the complicated matter and follow up with Soule.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more than that,” he said.

Villeneuve ending service at four-year mark

Villeneuve announced at Thursday’s board meeting that he will not seek a third term when his seat comes up for election in March. He said he hopes that whoever succeeds him supports the bidding policy the board put in place. It works pretty well, he said.

Villeneuve also hopes the next person in the seat will support school choice for Alna, as he does. The town has school choice by law, said Ralph Hilton, one of the town’s representatives to Regional School Unit 12.

Addressing town office needs

Selectmen plan to ask Alna resident and building restoration expert Les Fossel for guidance on work on the town office. It needs exterior painting and other work, selectmen have said.

Villeneuve had gotten a $2,500 estimate from Hardypond Construction in Portland for capital planning work; board members said they would like to spend less.

During the discussion, Hilton suggested the town get a lease from the fire department to use the fire station’s basement as the town office.

Also Thursday, selectmen discussed plans to start meeting weekly, in preparation for the annual town meeting in March. At their next meeting, at 7 p.m. Jan. 21, at the town office, they planned to work on a schedule for taking up department budgets and other warrant items.