Sled traffic persists on off-limits street in Fort Kent

FORT KENT – The problem of snowmobiles on St. Joseph Street does not want to go away.

Robert and Candyce Plourde have been fighting for the better part of two years to get snowmobiles out of their lives and their residential neighborhood.

Local officials and police claim they are doing what they can to keep snowmobiles out of the neighborhood.

But the problem continues, according to the Plourdes.

The latest volley is a letter from Robert Plourde to Town Manager Donald Guimond and Police Chief Kenneth Michaud in which he claims that dozens of snowmobiles are still using the street as a snowmobile trail.

If it doesn’t stop, Plourde wrote, he will instruct his attorney to file a contempt motion with the court.

The Plourdes took their concerns repeatedly to the Town Council for months until September 2002. In desperation last year, because nothing seemed to be happening, they took the issue to Superior Court.

The court concluded that St. Joseph Street should not be used as a snowmobile access trail to downtown Fort Kent.

The town recently spent thousands of dollars to develop an access trail from the Heritage Trail to the downtown area, where snowmobilers can obtain service for machines, food for themselves and rooms to sleep. The downtown area has two snowmobile dealers, one motel, one hotel, and half a dozen or more restaurants.

The new access route has an exit-entrance at Fort Kent Village Road, about three-tenths of a mile from the former St. Joseph Street outlet. Signs and barricades have been installed at the former exit to St. Joseph Street.

Snowmobilers nonetheless still use St. Joseph Street as access to the business district, according to the Plourdes.

In his Dec. 30 letter, Plourde wrote, “Saturday, December 28, 2002 was a disaster on St. Joseph Street concerning snowmobile traffic.”

Plourde claimed that police had not interceded. “I wish to deal with this ridiculous issue and one other serious problem that has arisen on St. Joseph Street in the hope that things can be resolved short of returning to Superior Court,” the resident wrote.

The second issue Plourde raised involved traffic going to Gary Dumond’s, located across the street from the Plourde residence. Dumond, the owner of Fort Kent Ski-doo Sales and Service, encourages the practice, Plourde said.

“Traveling from one end of St. Joseph Street to the other is ‘through’ traffic no matter where you stop in between,” Plourde wrote.

Michaud claims that police have been trying to stop the use of the street.

“Some people are still using it, and it is not a through street,” Michaud said Monday. “There are complaints. The police have been there.

“It has to stop, and we have no choice,” he said. “We have stopped dozens of people, and we have issued four summonses.”

He said the summonses were issued recently. Conviction could mean a $120 fine. Some snowmobilers are going to court on Feb. 5, the chief said.

“Out-of-town people may not know about the problem, but local snowmobilers should,” he said.

Guimond said signs have been installed and another sign will be placed to stop snowmobile traffic off the Heritage Trail to St. Joseph Street.

“We are trying to enforce the court order,” Guimond said. “Summonses were issued even before we got Bob’s [Plourde] letter.

“The police get complaints, but by the time they arrive there, the snowmobilers are gone,” Guimond said.

Plourde was adamant last weekend that the problem must stop.

“It just can’t go on,” he said. “We have a court order.”