Layers of repairs are visible Thursday on Jewett Road in Pittston. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

PITTSTON — If Pittston officials want to repair Jewett Road the correct way, it will cost nearly $2 million, experts say. 

Some of the potholes, photographed Thursday, on Jewett Road in Pittston. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Five years after Jewett Road’s repairs were administered by Road Commissioner Sam Snow, the road is in need of a repairs, while, at the same time, Snow’s stipend for serving as road commissioner, which he receives in two payments per year, has been withheld by the Select Board until he shows up at a weekly board work session to discuss his job performance.

The Select Board held a special meeting Monday to review the findings made by Pine Tree Engineering Inc. of Bath, which Snow attended.

No decisions were made at the meeting, but engineer Jeremy Prue, a project manager at Pine Tree Engineering Inc. of Bath, said the town has three viable options: Reverting Jewett Road to a dirt road, the cheapest option, at $251,000; rebuilding the existing road base for about $1,516,000; or a full-depth reconstruction, recommended by the firm, that would cost at least $1,876,000.  

Snow asked Prue to explain the difference between Jewett Road and other old roads in Maine that are repaired with patches instead of full reconstruction, but Prue said the issue is with the road’s base.

“It’s not the worst option,” Prue said. “You could absolutely repair the road and repave with a seal coat, but then you still have an unstable base for the future.”

The Select Board tasked Pine Tree Engineering to analyze Jewett Road, review the previous engineering report completed in 2022 by S.W. Cole Engineering Inc. and come up with with recommendations.

Both S.W. Cole Engineering and Pine Tree Engineering have recommended complete reconstruction, which would be the most expensive option.

Snow decided to repave the 2-mile road in 2019. Five years later, breaks and cracks in the road have cost the town about $300,000 to patch. The 2022 report from S.W. Cole found that the gravel used to build the road in 2019 was of poor quality.  

S.W. Cole said the road’s gravel consists of “silty gravelly sand” that varies in thickness of 8 to 11 inches, with fines (smaller gravel chips and dust) of 15% to 17.7%. According to the report, a properly built road contains fines of 0% to 8%.

A few Pittston residents who attended the meeting, including Snow, expressed concern about the price, and others wondered if it would be worth reverting to a dirt road.

Pat Philbrook, who moved with her husband to Pittston in 1970, said she is in favor of removing the pavement from the road. Philbrook, who lives on a road off Jewett Road, said there were never problems with the dirt road.

Prue said he would not favor that option due to the maintenance, which is much different than with a paved road.

“I would not like to see (the road) go back to gravel for what (was) mentioned because of the mud,” Prue said. “There are pros and cons for each option, and I also understand the negatives of the expense. So, I understand. It’s for the town to decide on what they are willing to spend and put up with as far as what it’s going to cost.”

The Select Board did not discuss the options at the special town meeting or at Wednesday night’s Select Board meeting. At the end of the special meeting, however, Select Board Chair Jane Hubert told those who attended to keep the three options in mind for discussion over the next few months.