N.H. officials hope hearing shows support for ATV park

BERLIN, N.H. – With the Executive Council demanding more answers about purchase terms for a proposed ATV park, city officials hoped public hearings would show councilors there’s strong support for the project.

The proposed 7,200-acre park near Jericho Lake would abut the White Mountain National Forest. It would be owned by the state and would include an estimated 350 miles of trails for off-road vehicles.

The purchase price is $2.16 million, but executive councilors questioned terms that would give current owners Thomas and Scott Dillon, of Anson, Maine, logging rights for another five years and long-term gravel-mining rights.

They tabled a vote on the purchase last week and rescheduled it for Nov. 16, saying they wanted more information and more public comment before reaching a decision. One hearing was scheduled for Monday night in Berlin, and another one was scheduled for Nov. 14 in Concord.

City officials and ATV riders say the park would bring needed tourism dollars and jobs to the North Country. The project also has the support of the state’s largest land conservation organization, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, which backed a 2002 measure raising ATV registration fees in exchange for creating more legal places for them to ride.

Charlie Niebling, senior director of policy and land management for the forest society, said the property is “high and dry” and is well-suited to an ATV park.

“This project has been welcomed with open arms” in the community, Niebling said. “And this will mean that 7,200 acres will never be commercially developed.”

Opponents of ATV use say the machines cause erosion and surface water runoff, make a lot of noise and frighten wildlife.