Should a property owner have to wait to tear down a historic building? An Alna man wants his town to consider it.

Les Fossel has worked in restoration about 45 years. He said it drives him to frustration when someone decides a building's fate based on wrong information. They burn money replacing a building they could have fixed for less, the former state lawmaker said in a phone interview Friday.

A town that highlights its historic buildings as Alna does should want to keep as many as it can, he added.

At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the town office, the planning board takes up the ordinance idea. Also on the agenda, released Saturday, are the Faulkner subdivision and Atlantic Salmon Federation's final design for its Head Tide Dam project.

Board Chair Beth Whitney wrote in an email response to questions Friday, work on the demolition ordinance will start that night. "I don't know how fast this will go, (it) depends on the models we come up with." The item follows Fossel's talk with selectmen Dec. 12. According to the minutes, Second Selectman Ed Pentaleri and Third Selectman Doug Baston supported the concept, and Baston felt it should go to the planning board and then a public hearing.

Whitney wrote in Friday's email, "No public hearing till we have something to propose."

In Friday's interview, Fossel stressed he is not talking about rules to tell people what they can and can't do; a "cooling off period" would help an owner make an informed decision, Fossel said.

"I think it's a reasonable thing to do."

Lincoln County's longtime planner Robert Faunce said in email responses to questions, demolition delay ordinances are "pretty common and can be beneficial. (It) gives a pause in the process of someone proposing to demolish a historic structure. It also raises the profile of that structure in the community," sometimes leading to offers to buy it and move it, Faunce said. "Also, it can lead to a community effort to create a full historic district ordinance, which involves a communitywide evaluation of all potential historic structures in the town.

"I think this would be a great outcome for Alna," Faunce continued. "There are many fine old homes, barns and other buildings that together create a sense of time and place in the community. While not every old building can or should be saved, there are many that can and should be preserved or restored for the benefit of the owner and the community."

In a separate email Fossel forwarded to the planning board and the Wiscasset Newspaper, Faunce described possible provisions, starting with a property owner requesting a demolition permit. "(The owner) must receive approval from the town’s historical review committee or commission, or other permitting body prior to undertaking the demolition of structures ... designated as historically significant. If it is determined that there should be an effort to preserve the structure, a delay period is imposed to consider and find alternatives to demolition." If none are found, the permit is issued, Faunce explained. "A demolition delay ordinance or bylaw is not generally intended to prevent a demolition from occurring indefinitely."

John Reinhardt chairs the Wiscasset Historic Preservation Commission. The ordinance that created the commission calls for certificates or appropriateness for demolitions of buildings in the historic district, Reinhardt said. He said it is a wonderful idea for Alna or any town. "Once you destroy a landmark, you can never bring it back," he said.