Houlton ATV plan needs board’s OK

HOULTON – All-terrain vehicle users may get a bit more access to businesses and restaurants on North Road if a proposal to make two secluded roads accessible to ATVs is approved by town councilors.

The plan was made public at a council meeting Monday evening. A panel has been working for nearly a year to develop a workable solution that will allow ATV operators to enjoy their activity, and also maintain peace and quite for residents in local neighborhoods.

ATV users approached the councilors last May and requested that officials designate additional access routes in town so that riders can navigate legally around more streets.

A handful of ATV trails pepper 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 500 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 on 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 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 ultimately rejected by councilors and also was denounced by ATV enthusiasts.

Now, a new plan has been brought to the table, Town Manager Douglas Hazlett said Monday evening.

The manager said that he had spoken with Carl Campbell, the president of the Aroostook Riders ATV Club, and that Campbell said in a letter what the club wanted from the town.

The group wants the opportunity to access stores, restaurants and motels on North Road.

To help them do that, the club has proposed designating Hidden Road and Access Road as ATV access trails if needed. The club is also looking to build a bridge from Hidden Road or Access Road across the Meduxnekeag River so that ATV riders and snowmobilers can access a trail on the opposite side of the river.

Hazlett said that the Hidden Road is not open to the public, and Access Road is home to a veterinary clinic, but there are no residences on the street.

The club also asked that Don Keiser, the town’s grant writer and planning administrator, help them secure grant money to fund the bridge project.

Hazlett said that he supported the proposal on Monday evening.

“We’d like to support the club, stay within the parameters of the law, make public safety a priority and see an economic benefit to the town,” he said. “There is no economic benefit to the town if ATV operators can’t get near stores and motels.”

Hazlett professed a desire to transform the town from an “obstacle” to a “destination” for ATV riders.

“I see no problem with the Hidden and Access Roads becoming ATV trails, because they aren’t running through the center of town,” he told the board. “I also see no problem with having Don [Keiser] work with them on the bridge project. It is not a huge time commitment.”

The manager talked about the possibility of designating a spot on North Road where ATV riders can park their trucks to unload their machines and take day or weekend ATV trips.

Councilors were supportive of the idea on Monday evening, but suggested that the ATV club secure land access on both sides of the bridge before searching for grant money.

Since the group does not yet know where they will put the bridge, it is possible that they will not need to have both roads designated as ATV trails.

The group will explore the feasibility of building the bridge before coming back to the council.