POWNAL – If you never thought there was a think tank in Pownal, well, think again.

Located across from the Pownal General Store on Fickett Road is the headquarters of the North Pownal Think Tank, an apolitical and informal group of residents who come together every weekday morning to chew the fat, talk about the issues of the day, and most importantly, drink coffee.

“It’s a lot less and a lot more than it sounds like,” said Alan Bradstreet, who hosts the meetings on his property. “It’s a very casual operation.”

The roots of the North Pownal Think Tank began at the Pownal store, where eight or 10 mostly retired men would gather each morning from 7 to roughly 9 or later, if there’s something hot to talk about, said Bradstreet.

“When it started it was local contractors, which eventually became a group of retirees,” he said. “It’s a pretty diverse group.”

On Aug. 15, the group has invited the public to join them to honor Pownal Board of Selectmen Chairman Tim Giddinge, who has served two terms on the board and was recently re-elected to a third despite not taking out nomination papers. The group does not have a tradition of honoring local residents, but in Giddinge’s case, it was long overdue.

Though Giddinge is not a think-tank member, “he does a great job as a selectman, which in my mind is pretty thankless,” said the recently retired Bradstreet. “I felt he should be recognized for this.”

After the store closed in 2005, Bradstreet moved the coffee klatch across the street to a picnic table in his yard. Realizing winter may put a damper on the morning ritual, the men built an “8-foot-square” think tank proper from salvaged materials from a local landfill. Drawing on their many years of carpentry experience and old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity, the building is fully weatherized.

While the number of regulars has held steady, if all of them show up it does pose a problem, as there are only seven seats, said Bradstreet.

“We will go outside if it’s nice,” he said.

For North Pownal Think Tank charter member Chris White, who retired from Topsham-based engineering firm Wright Pierce a few years back, the group makes a point to get along, despite differing views on politics.

“The conversation can run from sailing to state politics,” said White. “But we agree to disagree no matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat.”

Now in its eighth year, the group has evolved, but you still have to bring your own coffee.

“We’ve gotten more sophisticated,” said Bradstreet. “We were initially called the North Pownal Think Tank and Adult Day Care.”

The North Pownal Think Tank headquarters on Fickett Road was constructed from salvaged materials found at a local landfill. It serves as a meeting place for roughly 10 Pownal men who gather each weekday morning to discuss the affairs of the town, the latest construction projects and to generally chew the fat. The informal group will be honoring Pownal Selectman Tim Giddinge on Aug. 15.