Lincoln-based ATV club gains access to road in Burlington

BANGOR – Penobscot County commissioners gave approval this week to a Lincoln-based ATV club to use a county-maintained road in Burlington, access that club members said will help connect them to miles of trails all the way to Cherryfield in Washington County.

“This is going to be a significant addition,” Henry Carey, president of Penobscot Off-Road Riders ATV Club, said Wednesday shortly after hearing about the commissioners’ decision one day earlier.

The club has more than 130 members.

Club members approached the county last week seeking approval to use the Bryant Ridge Road, although the commissioners expressed concerns about what impact the riders would have on traffic, neighboring land and landowners.

Those concerns were largely assuaged after county officials checked with state game wardens, other agencies and neighbors.

“Nobody had any real problems with it,” Penobscot County Commissioner Stephen Stanley said Wednesday. Stanley, of Medway, said the agreement could increase tourism in the area.

“Hopefully it will help economically in some of these areas,” he said.

The agreement is for one year, giving the county a chance to evaluate how things go.