Proposed ATV trail runs into opposition

Renee Richardson

Residents got their message across to Crow Wing County commissioners Tuesday without ever raising their voices.

Yellow "Vote No ATV Trail" signs lined the gallery. Jared Feierabend and Amanda Loss, St. Mathias Township residents, stood quietly with the signs in hand as they stood outside the board room doors.

Feierabend said the people attended because the county board wasn't listening. Residents spoke of concerns for environmental damage, crop damage and safety concerns for small children along the route who have playmates on either side.

Feierabend said the sheriff's department reported it doesn't have the staff for enforcement.

"How can they push something through that will be damaging to the community?" Feierabend said.

Inside the board room, several residents spoke in opposition to the proposed trail and its submission to the DNR for a grant-in-aid trail designation. Board Chairman Phil Trusty suggested the topic of the trail should be discussed in greater length at an upcoming committee meeting of commissioners.

During the meeting, William Durham, Long Lake Township who lives on the proposed trail, presented a petition to the board asking commissioners to withdraw support for the state grant-in-aid trail request. Durham said the petition carried 1,196 signatures from county residents and property owners.

Durham said many people have expressed concern and outright displeasure with the trail idea along with their town boards but speculated the county board hasn't taken note of it. That is why residents chose to sign a petition, Durham said.

The trail, which is proposed from Fort Ripley to Pine Center to Brainerd has supporters among ATV riders and clubs and has long faced opposition from the townships and residents along the trail's proposed route.

Mervin Eisel, Fort Ripley Township, spoke of concern for the environmental damage and the destruction of the peace and quiet that residents enjoy in a rural setting. Some ATV riders, Eisel said, would seem to prefer the moonscape with craters and pits with water.

Another resident said while it sounded like a cliche, it was important to listen to the voice of the people. Others spoke of concerns about the noise.

Resident Mary Reetz questioned the expense related to the trail and suggested if the county and DNR could build it on their own land to avoid these issues.

Larry Smude, Long Lake Township farmer who is also an ATV rider, said there is always a percentage of riders who think his oats, corn or hay field is a play area and while that damages his way to make a living, he has few options to recoup losses.

Smude said he rides ATVs and they are a wonderful tool, but there is certain percentage who don't use the machines correctly.

"So I'm very concerned about this," Smude said.

After the meeting, Kirk Titus, Crow Wing County Land Services supervisor, said the county received feedback from the townships and is in the process of changing the trail's proposed alignment and removing it from the township roads.

The process calls for a DNR team review, looking at soils, environmental and heritage areas. The review will determine if additional study or environmental was needed. The DNR will look at the change in alignment, Titus said. A public notification would follow the DNR review.

Cost for trail construction is estimated to be $1,000 per mile with the proposal for 50 miles of ATV trail. The county's trail proposal also calls for construction of a parking area in Fort Ripley and with a shelter and facilities for an estimated cost of $10,000. A subtotal, including the trail construction and shelter, added spending for administration, acquisition and a trail map to bring a subtotal of $63,000 with 65 percent, or $40,950, of that listed as state cost.

The proposal calls for $20,000 in maintenance, such as signs and seeding and then $30,000 for monthly trail grooming and a yearly $1,000 cost for insurance for a second subtotal of an additional $51,000 with 90 percent, or $45,900, of that coming as a state cost.

The total state grant cost for the project is estimated to be $86,850, according to the proposal submitted to the state's trail assistance program.

Titus said the intent is to have the trail paid for by ATV license fees, similar to the funding for snowmobile trails.

Titus said: "The important thing to understand is that we've received input from many folks here and we've heard comments from the townships and we are in the process of moving the trail off the township roads."

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Source: http://www.brainerddispatch.com/stories/041410/new_20100414024.shtml

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