4.3. SR 08-19-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Hemo to the Mayor and City Council ATV and Snowmobile Regulations Page 4 Staff met with the River City Snow Riders on July 17, 2002 to review this memo and discuss club activities to date. The County snowmobile club is going to apply to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to obtain permits to utilize the railroad right of way for snowmobile use. The club proposed using the area along the railroad from Proctor to Main Street on the north side of the tracks as a cross-city link between Highways 10 and 169. While the impact to residential properties is minimal, there are several issues with this link: 3. 4. 5. 6. The Council provided direction for NO cross-city link between Highways 10 and 169 when it removed the use of the 193rd Avenue trail connection earlier this year. The crossing at Jackson Avenue and the approach to Main Street are extremely dangerous (see attached photographs). It is difficult to know if the snowmobilers will remain on the pavement or if they will use this trail. It may encourage the use of the Highway 10 corridor on the south side of the railroad tracks. It is unknown if the County dub will be able to obtain the proper permits from the railroad. It brings pedestrians on motorized vehicles, both residents and non-residents into the most congested and difficuk to travel part of the City. Implementation Process In order to implement the ordinance changes, staff suggests the following: Obtain the names and addresses of registered ATV and snowmobile owners within the 55330 area code from the state registrar's office (the River City Snow Riders have agreed to assist us with obtaining this list as they have obtained it once already). Invite the above and the citizens of Elk River to an informational meeting to educate and allow for public input into the proposed regulations(September). Present the ordinance change to the City Council in October for adoption. Install required signage as needed in October. Mail the final ordinance requirements to the above persons. Park and Recreation Commission Meeting Discussion Members of the River City Snow Riders were in attendance to provide input to the issues outlined in this memo. They would like snowmobilers to have the ability to ride on the streets from their homes to the trails. They also feel that the 2.5-acre lot area restriction is too restrictive. The intent of this provision is to prevent recreational riding on small urban lots, which happens in neighborhoods by unsupervised riders. An alternative presented by the Club members was to reduce the lot size down to ~h acre or to restrict the riding to loading/unloading sleds or putting them into outbuildings.