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<br /> <br />Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes <br />October 8, 2025 <br />--------- <br />Page 4 of 10 <br />Commissioner Goodwin said she called Chair Anderson last week because she was at Woodland Trails <br />Regional Park with her kids and two middle schoolers were riding e-motos around and it made her <br />concerned that they would not see her kids on the trails. She also said she is concerned about the <br />damage to the trails and that there is a lot of investment from the City of Elk River and volunteers. She <br />thinks that teenagers using these don’t have the wisdom to make good choices all the time. At the same <br />time, she does see the benefit for those riding them slower that are using them to get back into being <br />active and have mobility issues, etc. She said that she thinks if we have an ordinance then we must have <br />an enforcement period. <br /> <br />Chair Anderson said he thinks that there is a big education piece. Commissioner Stewart said that <br />whatever they decide today they need to get the message out clearly and then have an enforcement <br />period, so people learn what is permitted and what is not. <br /> <br />Commissioner Stewart said that they have to have a living document that they can change as things are <br />constantly changing with these bikes. He thinks that class three bikes are too fast and shouldn’t be <br />allowed on trails. He doesn’t think that they can do anything about class two since they could always <br />just pedal it, so they should allow one and two and ban the third one. He doesn’t think that there are <br />any other motorized things that should be allowed on the trails. <br /> <br />Mr. Burchill said that a lot of the kids he stops on the trails think that if the bike they are riding is <br />electric and not gas that is okay. <br /> <br />Commissioner Varty said that she agrees and that a class three bike is too fast and an accident is waiting <br />to happen. Classes one and two are fine. Commissioner Fermoyle said she doesn’t have anything else to <br />add. <br /> <br />Chair Anderson said that EPAMD’s (Electric Personal Assistance Mobility Devices) such as segways, <br />hoverboards, and electric skateboards have to be allowed. Commissioner Loidolt said one thing he is <br />concerned about is that since the GNT runs through Sherburne County if we aren’t consistent then <br />what are we going to do once the people get to the boundary of our portion of the trail? He said he is <br />not for the bikes or against them, but he wants to get in front of the issue. He said if there is a speed <br />limit of 20 miles per hour set up how will it be enforced? With a radar gun? <br /> <br />Commissioner Goodwin said maybe enforcement is through education such as signs because a class <br />three bike can slow down to 20 mph if required to do so. Mr. Shelby said that the Sherburne County <br />Advisory Board didn’t want to prevent people who are using them responsibly from continuing to do <br />so. He also thinks they wanted to maintain accessibility and determine how they would limit and <br />regulate what bikes can be on the trails in a reasonable way that makes sense. They thought that <br />addressing speed was the way to go. Mr. Shelby said the City of Elk River communications department <br />could put together a robust education campaign this winter to help people understand what they can <br />and can’t do. <br /> <br />Chair Anderson said that we might have to put something together on an emergency basis because they <br />are out of control. He said if he had his way he would say the trails are non-motorized, but he said that <br />the world is changing. He said that he has a lot of friends that have e-bikes, otherwise they wouldn’t be <br />biking. They bike all over the state and it is giving them extended time in their life to do leisurely <br />activities. <br /> <br />Chair Anderson said that he thinks that class 3 e-bikes are too powerful and too fast, but he doesn’t DRAFTPage 5 of 34