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AV
ATVCLUB
NEWS:
Safety is stressed on new ATV trail
November 04, 2009
Berlin
Reporter 
by
Erik Eisele
BERLIN The Berlin Police Department and the Androscoggin Valley ATV Club stressed the importance of raising awareness that ATVs and cars will be sharing the road after the new trail opens on November 7.
"This can work," said Police Chief Peter Morency, "and it can work very safely."
The most important thing is for everyone to learn of the rules, he said, including drivers.
Councilor Tim Cayer reiterated some of those rules.
The trail through town doesn't use every possible opportunity to avoid the pavement, he said, because the danger is highest leaving and entering the flow of traffic. Minimizing the number of times ATVs disrupt that flow is key to keeping drivers and riders safe, he said.
"You have to interact with them as if it's a regular vehicle," he said.
That means drivers shouldn't pass an ATV on a double yellow line, he said, or expect them to pull to the right of the white line. They will be riding in the roadway, he said, and that is where they are supposed to be. Drivers should treat them the same as they would any car on the roadway.
City Manager Pat MacQueen said the city looked how other communities around the country had set up their system, and this is common practice.
The ATV trail through the city will open on Saturday with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a proclamation read by Mayor David Bertrand. It will then be open until December 15, when it will revert to the snowmobile trail.
"This is far from done," said Councilor Cayer. It is important people understand the rules and obey them to ensure the ordinance has a positive effect on the community. If they don't, he said, the city might repeal the ordinance, and riders would again lose access between Jericho Mountain State Park and the Success trails.
The trail will be open for a little over a month before it switches to the snowmobile trail. Councilor Cayer said that time will be a good testing period, enabling the city to address any significant problems before it reopens in May.
One of the issues organizers already commented on is the size of the green diamonds marking the trail. Chief Morency said they need to be bigger and closer together. Currently they are the size of a dinner plate. The ATV club started with even smaller diamonds, slightly larger than a postcard, but they quickly realized they need something bigger. The police department and city staff suggested making them two feet wide.
Final touches
on city ATV trail
Berlin
Reporter
by
Erik Eisele
October 28, 2009
BERLIN — The diamonds are going down and the trail signs are
going up; the ATV trail through the city will soon be open.
The trail will open November 7, and if weather permits it will
remain open until December 15, at which time it will revert to the
snowmobile trail.
Organizers reached an agreement with the Salvation Army to allow
riders to use their property, they said, which will allow them to
go from Valley Creek Eatery to Cole Street without using city
streets. The trail with go through the Dead River park to reach
Cole Street without using city streets, removing the last
significant hurdle to opening the trail. A written agreement has
yet to be drafted and signed, members of the Androscoggin Valley
ATV Club said, but they will have it done before the scheduled
opening date.
Organizers are planning an opening celebration on November 7, with
representatives from the city, AVATV club, New Hampshire Trails
Bureau and Department of Resources and Economic Development. They
also plan to invite the governor, state representatives, senators,
members of the executive council and statewide media, as well as
all the property owners who have permitted the trail to cross
their property.
The event will start at Jericho Mountain State Park at 10 a.m. A
parade of ATVs will ride from the park to the Tondreau parking
area for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and brief remarks by Mayor
David Bertrand. They will then continue to Success Pond Road,
where they will turn around and head back to Jericho Mountain
State Park.
Information Session to be Held on Trail Opening of Presidential Rail Trail
(Concord, NH) On Tuesday, October 13th, the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation's Bureau of Trails will hold a Public Information Session about opening sections of the Presidential Rail Trail in Gorham to include ATV use. The Bureau will provide information about opening portions of the trail to summer ATV use in order to connect Jericho Mountain State Park to the Success Trail via a southern route through Gorham.
The session will be held at the Gorham Town Hall in the Public Meeting Room at 7:00pm.
The Bureau of Trails is a bureau within the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation. The Division is comprised of the Parks Bureau, Bureau of Historic Sites, Bureau of Trails and Cannon Mountain. The division manages 71 properties, including state parks, campgrounds, historic sites, trails, waysides and natural areas. The Division is one of four divisions of the Department of Resources and Economic Development. To learn more about the Division of Parks and Recreation, visit
www.nhstateparks.org or call (603) 271-3556.
 NEW
HAMPSHIRE: Eric Anderson
Berlin is home to the newest edition of the New Hampshire State
Park system, the 7500 acre Jericho Mountain State Park (JMSP).
Managed by the NH Division of Parks and Recreation, Bureau of
Trails and primarily funded by trail bike and ATV registrations,
the park is expected to be a major asset in the revitalization
of Berlin. The Androscoggin Valley ATV Club (AVATV) provides
volunteer maintenance of other OHRV trails in the area. AVATV
then joined in as the official volunteer steward club for the
park to assist the State with trail construction and ongoing
maintenance.
Just as it expected to
help revive the City’s economy, JMSP has already revived
AVATV. Leading up to the initial opening of the park AVATV
membership increased from 50 to roughly 250. The JMSP Trail
Master's role is to coordinate club volunteers and to work
directly with the State’s field crew for trail development and
maintenance. Longtime Berlin resident and ATV enthusiast Erik
Anderson fervently stepped up. Before, during and after the
initial trails were opened it wasn’t (and still isn’t)
uncommon to find Erik working tirelessly in the park almost
every day of the week. Sometimes the tasks don’t come in quick
enough for him. During the 2007 summer season Erik logged over
250 hours. Beyond volunteering his time for trail development,
Erik also spends much time traversing the park in his orange
"ATV TRAIL PATROL" vest looking for trail hazards,
helping park guests in need, and informing other riders of the
State’s OHRV laws and recommended safety practices.
A letter to THE BERLIN DAILY SUN, Friday, February 20, 2009
To the editor:
It was with dismay that I found myself the only taxpayer attending the Dummer town budget hearing
on Monday evening, Feb. 2. The school budget hearing was also poorly attended with only myself and two
other residents attending. It might interest all taxpayers to learn that the projected school portion of our tax
rate will be increasing $4.08 (from $9.55 to $13.63). The town budget is showing an increase of $23,000.
In these tough economic times, I urge registered voters to attend the annual meetings on March 10, and
take a hard look at the budgets being presented.
When you receive your town reports you will note a proposed ordinance to allow ATV’s to travel on town roads.
I do not see this as a benefit to the town or to the residents living on roads. Rather, it will become another aggravation
to many people. Please vote no when this warrant article is presented at the annual meeting. It is my hope that we will
see a greater interest and attendance at our March meetings.
Elizabeth Hawkins
Former member
Board of selectmen
City council endorses OHRV bill
BERLIN — A proposed bill that will allow Off Highway Recreational Vehicles (OHRV) to travel on state highways in Coos County received the endorsement of the city council Monday night. State Rep. Paul Ingersoll, the sponsor of the measure, asked the council for a written letter of support. He also encouraged supporters to testify at a hearing on the bill in Concord on March 3.
The bill would allow municipalities in Coos County to designate OHRV routes and allow the vehicles to travel in the right-of-way on state highways on those designated routes. All OHRVs must be registered and operators over 16 would have to have a valid driver’s license. Children under 16 and over 12 years of age would be required to have an OHRV safety certificate and travel within 100 feet of a parent or legal guardian. No one under 12 could operate an OHRV on a state highway. The bill sets a speed limit of 25 miles per hour. The bill would take effect 60 days after passage.
Berlin is not the only community interested in taking advantage of the measure if it passes. Dummer has an article on its town warrant to allow OHRV vehicles on highways there. Berlin already has a snowmobile trail that runs through the city, using several city sidewalks to get through the downtown. Councilor Tim Cayer said a group of city officials, state Bureau of Trails officials, and members of two local ATV clubs have been meeting regularly to work out options for connecting the ATV trail system at Jericho Mountain State Park with the trail system in Success. Another 120 miles of ATV trail are available in Millsfield. The group held a status meeting Friday at city hall.
N.H. Bureau of Trails head Chris Gamache said his agency is still working on a trail connecting the two ATV systems. He said he is optimistic a route can be worked out. Allowing ATVs and snowmobiles to use highway ROWs would allow riders to access the city as soon as the law takes effect. Ingersoll said riders could go between the two trail systems while the bureau continues to work on a route that would be off highway. Designated routes would be set up to provide access to local restaurants.
Berlin Community Services Director Laura Viger said the city could market itself as the first city in the state to allow ATVs to ride in the city. Ingersoll said the hope is to generate business for local merchants and restaurants by attracting riders from outside the North Country.
Both Ingersoll and Cayer said there will need to be an education effort for both the public and riders. But the two noted communities in Maine and Canada allow ATVs to ride on city streets with no major issues. Cayer said he plans to testify on the bill at the hearing along with a bus load of ATV riders from both the Androscoggin Valley ATV Club and the Umbagog ATV Club. There is also a petition in support of the bill being circulated that supporters hope to present to the committee.
The bill is scheduled to be heard before the House transportation committee in Room 203 of the Legislative Office Building at 11 a.m. on March 3.
We need bodies at the hearing... you do not need to speak just sign-in in support. If we need to organize a carpool, this should be the thread to do so.
We also need letters to the House Transportation Committee in support of the bill... please take the time to follow the link above and read it first. Write in your own words, and send to all committee members regardless of your residency. Sign your letter with municipality and State (country?).
This will take you to the page listing committee members, as you click on each member... it will give their home address and e*mail. Should you live in the municipality they do, or be represented by them... please write a specific heading for that rep. It will garner more attention.
Do not forget the Committee Chair, Vice Chair, or Clerk... and remember this bill is being entered by a Democrat, so limit any partisanship.
http://generalcourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?code=H27
Last
Updated on 01/01/2010
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