Doug Baston will be stepping down as second selectman this month. On behalf of the citizens of Alna, we want to thank him for his years of service to our town as a planning board member, a selectman, a friend and neighbor. He cares deeply for Alna, its history, its character and its people. I served on the planning board with Doug back when our town office was located in the Puddledock School. Besides dealing with site visits, subdivisions, modifying, crafting and enforcing ordinances, we were then mandated by the state to create a comprehensive plan. As chairman, Doug led us through this time-consuming and complicated process and its approval by the town.

We do not know how many grants Doug has quietly written and received for the town as well as some organizations within town. There was a grant that provided funds to upgrade our town’s historical buildings as well as to preserve our town records. There was the ConnectME grant that gave us the monies to provide Tidewater Internet service to much of the town. Another grant paid an architect to provide estimates for repairing, building a new or moving the town office. He was instrumental in having CMP’s equipment in Alna reevaluated which resulted in the town receiving a substantial amount of tax money.

David has served many years on the board of selectmen with Doug. He found him “easy to work with, very knowledgeable, always willing to listen to others’ opinions and willingly took on any task thrown at him.” The selectmen have had some tough issues to deal with over the years (way too many to list here)…some more contentious than others. Doug has always spent time, thought/research on his decisions which have always been based on what he thinks will best benefit our town.

When the state mandated that our town dump be closed, Doug was instrumental in negotiating and contracting with the Wiscasset Transfer Station. He has been involved in issues ranging from our town’s safe being stolen and purchasing the town’s first computer to borrowing Alna’s Militia Drum from The Boston Museum of Art for our town’s Bicentennial.

More recently, Doug was instrumental in negotiating and finally fulfilling the town’s desire to have a new town office. Not only is this a building Alna people can take pride in, but its features include a large meeting room, a vault for our town archives and a food bank that has been especially important during this last very difficult year.

Doug has made it his policy to always publicly encourage and thank any volunteers or office holders in our town because he knows how important it is for people to feel valued … with or without pay. Because of COVID-19, we will not be having a town meeting this year. We will not be able to publicly show Doug that we value him and all he has done for our town … maybe give him a standing ovation, a plaque, a “gold watch” or even a “golden tractor award.”

All we can do for now is just say, “Thank you, Doug!”