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Myra Road residents ask Penobscot County to extend year‑round maintenance to county line; commissioners ask staff for cost and deed review
Summary
Two residents asked Penobscot County to restore year‑round winter maintenance on the Myra Road to the county line. The commissioners agreed to have the Unorganized Territory director gather cost estimates and to pursue coordination with Hancock County; they made no immediate guarantee to plow this season.
Two residents who live along the Myra Road addressed the Penobscot County commissioners on Jan. 21 and asked the county to resume year‑round maintenance to the county line.
Argo Michael Regan, who said he lives at 992 Myra Road in Township 32, explained that the Myra Road runs roughly 5.75 miles, of which about 4.6 miles lie in Penobscot County and about 1.07 miles in Hancock County. Regan said the corridor now supports roughly 16 year‑round residences and 21 camps, and that population and year‑round occupancy have increased in recent years. “I am here today … to formally request that Penobscot County maintain the Myra Road year round to the county line,” Regan told commissioners.
His neighbor, John Renzo, said the residents were not asking for immediate plowing this winter but requested that the county begin engineering and remediation work in spring to prepare the road for future winter maintenance. “We are not asking for the plowing to begin immediately,” Renzo said. “We are asking for your approval that the process be started in the spring in preparation for future winter plowing.”
Commissioners and staff raised logistical concerns: the hill known locally as “10 Hill” on the Penobscot side requires regrading or other slope work before a plow truck can traverse it safely, and parts of the Hancock County segment were described as having poor drainage and a worn gravel surface that needs ditching and resurfacing. The commission also noted the need to confirm deed and right‑of‑way status across the full length of the road before committing to long‑term winter maintenance.
Unorganized Territory Director George Buswell and commissioners agreed to gather further information. The board directed the UT director to develop cost estimates for the work required (ditch, gravel, slope reduction at the hill and creation of a safe truck turnaround), and to begin negotiating with Hancock County about who would perform plowing and how costs would be divided. Commissioners said no funding is currently available in the FY26 UT budget to start plowing mid‑season this winter; the issue will be considered during upcoming budget and bid cycles.
The commissioners asked staff to return with estimated one‑time remediation costs and ongoing annual maintenance projections before making any decision about adding winter plowing to the UT plow contract in the FY26 cycle.
