Houlton council to revisit ATV access issue

HOULTON – Houlton’s town manager will lead town councilors in a discussion tonight about how much access to give ATV operators in the community.

Although municipal officials and ATV enthusiasts have talked about the matter sporadically for a year, the town has yet to come up with a workable solution that will allow ATV users to enjoy their activity while also allowing residents to maintain the peace and quiet to which they have become accustomed.

Now that ATV season is here, Town Manager Douglas Hazlett will resurrect the discussion of whether to open up more access routes in town so that ATV riders can navigate legally around more streets.

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

There are a handful of ATV trails on 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 could ride to restaurants and stores.

However, some residents objected to the idea during public hearings last year, expressing concerns about safety, speeding 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 given operators the right of entry to a handful of local streets to reach existing trails.

But that proposal was modified 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 rejected by councilors and also was denounced by ATV enthusiasts.

The council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.