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Myra Road residents ask Penobscot County to restore year-round maintenance; county to study costs and coordinate with Hancock County
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Summary
Two residents requested that the county resume year-round winter maintenance on Myra Road, a county road that crosses into Hancock County. Commissioners asked the unorganized-territory director to gather right-of-way, cost and drainage information and to coordinate with Hancock County; no immediate change to winter maintenance was ordered.
Two residents who live along the Myra Road in township 32 appeared at the Jan. 21 Penobscot County Commissioners meeting to request that the county resume year-round maintenance (including winter plowing) to the Penobscot–Hancock county line.
Speaker Argo Michael Regan described the road’s length and use: the road is roughly 5.75 miles long, with about 4.6 miles in Penobscot County and 1.07 miles in Hancock County. He said the route serves woods workers, sportsmen and year-round residents and that the number of year-round households had increased in recent years. He asked the county to “maintain the Myra Road year round to the county line” and said he was not asking for power or mail service, only reliable road maintenance and emergency access.
John Renzo, a neighbor, noted that physical work would be required before a large snowplow could safely operate along the full route: slope reductions on a hill on the Penobscot side (identified in the meeting as “10 Hill”), ditching and a gravel overlay on the Hancock section, and a turnaround for a plow truck. Both speakers said they were not asking for immediate winter plowing but for the county to begin spring work and preparations so that future winter maintenance would be feasible.
Commissioners and staff discussed right-of-way and deed reviews, the location of gates on the stud-mill road (gated by a private timber manager during mud season), and the need for coordination with Hancock County because the road crosses both jurisdictions. Commissioners said the unorganized-territory director should gather cost estimates and legal/right-of-way information and then negotiate with Hancock County about responsibility and cost-sharing. Several commissioners emphasized that any ongoing maintenance costs would be borne by unorganized-territory taxpayers and that the county’s FY26 budget and plow contract renewal complicate immediate changes.
No formal vote to restore winter maintenance was taken. The board recorded direction to staff to develop a scope of work and cost estimate and to return with that information, including deed/right-of-way verification and likely ongoing costs for winter contracts and gravel/ditching repairs.
