Laserfiche WebLink
<br />- <br /> <br />Park & Recreation Commission Minutes <br />January 10.2001 <br />Page 7 <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />snow onto the trail from the street. Commissioner Reitsma agreed that the <br />snowmobiles would run down the snow, unless snow was continuously put back <br />on it to maintain it. <br /> <br />Phil Hals stated that there are some areas in the City where there is simply no way <br />to get from "Point A" to "Point B". He stated that if snowmobiles were allowed on <br />certain trails, the most critical areas to maintain are starting and stopping points, <br />which is where most of the damage occurs. <br /> <br />Commissioner Sladek asked how much damage has been on the Jackson <br />A venue trail. Mr. Hals stated that he would not know until the snow melts, which <br />would likely be in April. <br /> <br />COMMISSIONER REITSMA MOVED TO RECOMMEND THAT SNOWMOBILES BE <br />BANNED FROM RIDING IN THE URBAN SERVICE AREA, EXCEPT FOR DESIGNATED <br />MAIN EAST-WEST AND NORTH-SOUTH TRAIL. COMMISSIONER DAVE ANDERSON <br />SECONDED THE MOTION. <br /> <br />Ms. McPherson stated that the Club is still missing a link on the Babinski site and <br />also a piece by the railroad track, in order to complete the trail. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Chair Kuester stated that he felt that if the Commission is going to make a <br />recommendation to ban snowmobiles, he felt that detailed findings must be <br />provided to the City Council. Commissioner Reitsma suggested that his motion <br />could be amended to specify the ban to begin next winter. Commissioner Dave <br />Anderson agreed that more preparation is needed before the recommendation <br />is presented to the City Council. <br /> <br />Commissioner Reitsma stated that he was in favor of making a recommendation <br />to the Council now. <br /> <br />Ms. McPherson stated that there are other cities such as Otsego, that are looking <br />at a possible ban on snowmobiles. She noted that Otsego has designated a 1 6- <br />member task force to study the issue. She suggested that there may be other <br />options to look at before making a decision. <br /> <br />Commissioner Dave Anderson stated he did not feel it would be possible to keep <br />snow on the trails, because of the heavy use by snowmobilers. Commissioner <br />Huberty stated that she did not feel it is fair to the taxpayers to ask them to pay <br />for damage to the trails. She felt that there are many more taxpayers who use <br />the trails for hiking and biking, compared to the number of snowmobilers. She felt <br />it was important to present the Council with information regarding the costs to <br />repair trails, as well as enforcement costs. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Commissioner Reitsma felt that the snowmobilers would be accommodated, if <br />there were one east-west trail and a north-south trail. He did not feel there would <br />be a real effort to establish these designated trails unless a ban were in place. <br />Mr. Hals stated that the Snowmobile Club members have probably put in 1,000 <br />hours, trying to obtain the trail. Mr. Hals stated that the $5,000 per mile cost to <br />repair trails is not per year, rather for a five or ten year period. He noted that <br />plowing snow onto the trails does cause some damage to the trail, but there also <br />are cost savings by not plowing the trails. He felt there are more issues to take <br /> <br />I <br />