Houlton to re-examine ATV access problems

HOULTON – With the advent of spring in Aroostook County, the last coating of snow melts away and takes with it the sole terrain for snowmobilers.

When that occurs, however, something else happens that excites recreation enthusiasts throughout the state – some snowmobile trails become all-terrain vehicle trails, and four-wheeling fans come out to ride.

As town officials and ATV enthusiasts have learned, however, not everyone is a fan of the sport.

And, after nearly a year of debate, the town has yet to come up with a workable solution that will allow ATV fans to enjoy their activity while also allowing residents to maintain the peace and quiet they’ve become accustomed to.

“There is a lot of polarization about this issue,” Town Manager Douglas Hazlett said recently, speaking about the issue of whether to open up more access routes in town so that ATV riders can navigate legally around more streets. “One of the things that we really need to figure out is what exactly do the ATV clubs and ATV riders want, and what can be done legally?”

ATV enthusiasts approached the Town Council last May and requested that officials designate the additional access routes.

At this point, a handful of ATV trails dot the outskirts of town, and sometimes operators must ride a short distance on public roads to reach a trail. Under state law, a registered ATV driver may not exceed a distance of 300 yards on a public way.

This means that riders sometimes cannot get from their homes to nearby trails legally, nor can they always legally reach area restaurants and gas stations by ATV. Riders have stressed that the town would benefit economically if they had access to restaurants and stores using their machines.

Some residents objected to the idea during public hearings last year, however, expressing concern about safety, speeding riders and noise.

An ATV committee was organized last fall to examine both sides of the issue. Town officials eventually met with members of the Aroostook Riders ATV Club and mapped out proposed access routes. Some of the paths would have enabled operators to access a handful of local streets to reach existing trails.

But that proposal was tweaked to accommodate state law and other regulations, and the plan that the council saw last November no longer designated access streets. It instead involved imposing a 10 mph speed limit with no riding between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. To reduce noise pollution, ATVs needed to have factory-authorized mufflers. Operators would have been prohibited from riding in town from Dec. 1 to May 14.

Residents did not completely embrace the plan last fall, saying that it did not pinpoint exactly where ATVs would be permitted. Some expressed concern that they would see ATVs in such places as Market Square.

The measure was ultimately rejected by councilors, with one member calling it “crap,” the council chairman denouncing it as “a horrible piece of legislation,” and an ATV enthusiast saying it was “garbage.”

Town councilors said at a meeting last month that they plan to bring the issue back to the table now that ATV season is approaching.

“I think that [ATV riders] could bring a lot of business to the North Road,” he said, touching on an area where restaurants and gas stations are plentiful. “And I think that the council is willing to entertain the idea of giving riders more access. Undoubtedly there will be a solution, but we don’t necessarily have a timeline for it.”