Adams puts off vote on access for ATVs

Sarah Haase

ADAMS — The village Board of Trustees tabled a decision about opening village roads to all-terrain vehicles.

The board has heard only negative feedback about opening North Park and Spring streets to ATV drivers, Mayor Patricia C. Sweetland said, and the issue was best left untouched until additional information can be obtained. The village will wait to see what the Town Council decides.

"From where I sit, all I've heard is opposition," she said. "No one has come forward to speak in favor of this."

Village Attorney Eugene R. Renzi said the laws are very specific when it comes to opening roads to ATVs.

"You really need to have no other solution to the problem," he said. "When you open it up, it's really a can of worms."

Despite discussion that included written opposition from village residents concerned about noise and access to private property, the board did consider a positive side of the issue.

Trustees Keith S. Perry and William P. Griffith acknowledged there were benefits to connecting trails and making them accessible. Mr. Perry said there should be a goal of creating a network of trails that would allow access to businesses along the trail.

"Part of the reason why this is being initiated is so that riders will have access to gas stations, restaurants, things like that," he said. "My perspective on this is that business owners would also want to have a say in this. But the noise, it's the foreseeable concern."

The only businesses on the proposed village trails would be Dave's Pool Service and Retail Store, 43 N. Park St., and Piddock Funeral Home Inc., 7 N. Park St.

"I know the funeral home has concerns that they'll be in the middle of a wake and have these noisy ATVs drive by," Mrs. Sweetland said.

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Source: http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20100622/NEWS03/306229955

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