After a year and a half effort, Alna has won a federal grant to get the town office an automatic generator, First Selectman Ed Pentaleri said Nov. 16. Citing the town’s best interest to go with 14-month old quotes Pentaleri said are better than what the town would find now, selectmen waived bidding and went with Mid Maine Generator for the generator, at $12,191; and Dead River Company for the propane tank, at $5,940.

Those September 2022 quotes went into the town’s application for a Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation grant, Pentaleri said. He said Maine Emergency Management Agency has said it will accept those if the town shows it has met local procurement policies; the public funds administration policy lets the board waive formal bid-seeking if in the town’s best interest, he said.

“MEMA understood that things actually ended up working out better for us (on) pricing, because it was unlikely that we could have done as well if we’d run a fresh” request for proposals, Pentaleri said. Both companies have said they will honor last year’s quotes, he said. 

Also Nov. 16, selectmen set a 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 special town meeting at the fire station. Plans call for the board to approve the warrant Nov. 31. Selectmen have said a town vote is needed to cover the pay and mileage for the new code enforcement officer and plumbing inspector, Bruce Engert. Because Engert will get $250 a week and 56 cents a mile “for non-commute, work-related mileage,” the funds will otherwise run out in two to three months, Pentaleri has said.

The board named Sherry Lyons, Tom Olcott and Paul Crandall to the roads committee.