A dozen local residents, from a standing-room-only audience, addressed the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners at their Tuesday, September 18, regular meeting — speaking for or against a proposed ordinance that would have opened certain County roads to regulated OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) traffic.
Following the public testimony, two of the Commissioners — Steve Wadley and Michael Whiting — voted to reject the proposed rule changes. Commissioner Ronnie Maez voted in support of the ordinance.
The proposal would have opened the entire Aspen Springs subdivision to OHV traffic, as well as a segment of County Road 700, and a segment of Piedra Road north of the Lake Hatcher subdivision.
In the eastern portion of the county, the rules would have allowed regulated OHV traffic on Mill Creek Road and on the upper Blanco Basin Road.
You can download the entire proposed (and rejected) ordinance here.
The ordinance had been a cooperative effort by County staff and the Pagosa Trail Riders Club — and nearly all the public testimony in favor of the ordinance had come from club members, who ride the ‘smaller’ 50-inch ATVs on many of the National Forest trails on the Pagosa Springs area.
From the Club website:
The Pagosa Trail Riders (PTR) is a 50-inch ATV Club whose members love to ride the roads and trails in Southwest Colorado. They promote education of responsible ATV/OHV riders in the National Forests. This group strives to preserve the lifestyle and the open space by the enhancement, maintenance, and sustainability of motorized trails by working with the USFS and the BLM. PTR works with and assists other user groups with various trail projects.
The Pagosa Trail Riders is a family-oriented, diverse group of off road motorized vehicle owners and all types of experience levels are welcome. The Club accommodates all rider styles and skill levels so that everyone can join, ride safely at their own pace, and have a GREAT TIME!
Prior to the actual vote, Commissioner Michael Whiting summarized his opposition. He felt the process of creating the ordinance had been flawed, in terms of leaving a substantial portion of the community out of the planning process.
“The other big issue is cost and public safety.” We had just listened to County Sheriff Rich Valdez complain that the allowance for regulated OHV traffic on lengthy County roads would require additional enforcement efforts, and additional personnel — and the BOCC has apparently been hesitant to fund additional staff for the Sheriff’s Office. (This is currently budget season; the Sheriff has seemingly making use of a community controversy to campaign for a larger budget for his department.)
Commissioner Whiting: “The fact is, that more vehicles mean higher costs. Adding more vehicles to the roads increases costs and reduces safety… We haven’t really factored in the cost of traffic enforcement here, and the cost of maintenance. We simply haven’t looked at it, as a board…
“It seems we are trying to solve a problem that doesn’t really exist, which is access. There is no access problem, to the National Forest. Anyone can trailer up there… to any trail in the county, and ride. All we would be doing is to move the access points closer to town — through largely agricultural and residential areas…
“My other concern is that the ‘recreational mentality’ begins at the access point. An ATV is a toy, for most people. It’s a recreational vehicle. So the ‘recreational mentality’ kicks in when you roll it off the trailer.
“So we are making a ‘zoning’ decision about whether County roads should become part of the recreation package in Archuleta Count. And that’s a big decision.
“And since it’s a big decision, we should be more methodical, and take our time on it.”
His implication seemed to be that the OHV issue is not exactly dead on arrival, but that considerable work remains to develop an acceptable OHV ordinance.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.