Preserved land in Roosevelt torn up by ATVs

Jane Meggitt

The Roosevelt Borough Council will file complaints against anyone illegally riding all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on municipal property.

At the May 10 meeting, a New Jersey State Police trooper advised the council on how to take legal action against those riding illegally.

Councilman Kirk Rothfuss, who recently walked the borough property between Lake Drive and Route 571, which the town preserved with state Green Acres funding, said it was disturbing to see ATV tracks laid down and soil moved.

“Someone’s turning it into their own ATV park,” he said. “They’re obviously coming from backyards in Roosevelt. If it were behind my house, I’d be really angry.”

A certain amount of the damage to the natural growth on the land will take years to grow back, Rothfuss said.

While he has seen kids riding ATVs down borough streets on occasion, Rothfuss said that he wasn’t aware of how much damage they were doing.

Rothfuss said he grew up riding dirt bikes but respected his neighbors. He said he would be glad to call the state police about violators because [the damage] is “over the top.”

“I don’t know why one neighbor thinks this is OK to do to another neighbor,” he said.

The tracks on the property are the length of four-wheel ATVs and wind through the woods, according to Rothfuss.

“It looks like the grade has been changed in the area to make the turns more fun,” he said.

Councilman Jeff Ellentuck said he took photos of the damage and saw three phases of track. Natural growth can still be seen under one section of track. The other sections show signs of more intensive use, he said.

Ellentuck compared one area of track to the old East Windsor Speedway.

“It’s a physical dirt track with a grade and jumps,” he said. “It’s not an ATV passing once a week — it’s intensive use.”

Mayor Beth Battel said residents have reported five or six people riding out there at a time.

State Trooper Randy Pangborn said residents can issue summonses against those illegally riding ATVs at the municipal court in Millstone, which handles court duties for the borough. The state police will then subpoena the person who signed the summons to testify about the illegal activity.

Councilwoman Arlene Stinson said neighbors have concerns about testifying against each other in court. She said state police intervention is a preferable approach to such issues.

Ellentuck said state troopers have spoken to ATV riders on a number of occasions.

“If the trooper is there, the bikes are there, someone must follow through with a complaint,” he said.

Pangborn said residents must tell a trooper that they want to sign a complaint against the riders. He said residents could also report the illegal activity to the borough’s code enforcement officer, who could sign a complaint.

Battel noted that unauthorized use of a motor vehicle could lead to the loss of a driver’s license or postpone the ability of an adolescent to obtain one.

Ellentuck mentioned that the borough could also seek reimbursement for land damage.

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Source: http://examiner.gmnews.com/news/2010-05-20/Front_Page/Preserved_land_in_Roosevelt_torn_up_by_ATVs.html

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