Gravel Road Maintenance Workshop
On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, the Waldo County Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with Friends of Lake Winnecook to host a gravel road maintenance workshop. The goal was to equip landowners, contractors, and town officials with the knowledge to maintain their roads in a way that protects local water quality.
The event drew a diverse group of 31 attendees, with 25 people joining in person and another six online via Zoom. Participants included municipal officials, road commission members, landowners, and representatives from conservation organizations and the state.
The workshop featured two expert speakers: Peter Coughlan, Director of MaineDOT's Community Services Division, and Josh Platt, President and Founder of Maine Environmental Solutions. The morning session, held at the Unity Community Center, focused on the fundamentals of road construction and key strategies for erosion control.
In the afternoon, the workshop moved to a hands-on field session on Waterman Lane. This practical component allowed attendees to see a successful road installation and observe various best management practices in action, such as open road culverts. The session also included a discussion on a rain garden installation on a nearby property, led by Valerie Derosier, an Environmental Specialist with the State of Maine’s Department of Transportation.
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with many reporting that they left with valuable, new information they could apply to their own roads.
This project was made possible, in part, by funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in partnership with the EPA.
Other recordings and photos below:
RESOURCES:
You can download the slideshows here:
Maintaining Gravel Roads: Pete Coughlan Maine Local Roads Center (LTAP)
Download the recording of morning session here
Other Resources:
