4.2. SR 01-16-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Snowmobiling within city threatened despite effort Snowmobilers in Elk River have access to some of the best snowmobil- ing in the state via state highways 10 and 169 as well as an expansive county road system. They're also fortunate to have such a dedicated group ~- the River City Snow Riders -working to improve and preserve the sport within the city of Elk River. The group continues its quest to cre- ate a crosstown trail to connect high- ways 10 and 169 and a loop for Elk River, Otsego and Ramsey. These would be vital links to the communi- ties of Anoka, Otsego, Big Lake, Zimmerman and beyond; ones that the city fathers should have thought of long ago. Police Chief Tom Zerwas will tell you as much. But hindsight is always 20/20. The River City Snow Riders seem to keep plugging along. Hopefully, their persistence will pay off for this small but hard-working group. Unfortunately, there is another small and inconsiderate group of snowmobilers who may ruin it for all Elk River snowmobiling enthusiasts. This is the group who shows up in the Elk River Police Department blot- ter and the Sherburne County Sheriff's Department report for snow- mobiling illegally. New trails that were badly damaged last year are being damaged again. Driveways from snowmobilers riding on the boulevards in residential neighborhoods are also being dam- aged by studs. My sense is the city will stand for this for only so long. City officials are expected to meet this week to discuss the topic of snow- mobiling. The River City Snow Riders have been trying to educate the public about lawful riding, and they posted service district is very limited. Riding on sidewalks, paved trails, boulevards of city streets, private property without consent and on city parks is illegal. So, the only place to ride within the urban service dis- trict is between curbs on the edge of roadways en route to highways and the county road system. There are a few other rules to fol- low, like riding with the flow of Jim Boyle traffic and riding at legal speeds. It's a snowmobiler's fantasy land on snow days when access is good. But when the plows plow and the sun shines, the access deteriorates. Unless the city of Elk River decides to stop plowing, this problem won't go away anytime soon. The sheriff's department is also dealing with unlawful snowmobilers. A report on page seven of this week's paper illustrates some of the prob- lems deputies have been dealing with. Complaints about snowmobilers surfaced at an Otsego City Council meeting Monday night. A citizen group is forming to look at the matter in that city. Both the police and sheriff's depart- ments are taking snowmobile com- plaints seriously. Recent accidents involving snowmobiles highlight the need for safe, legal riding more than ever. Snowmobilers who want to preserve their sport would be wise to brush up on the rules of the game and make sure the children of the sport also "no snowmobiling" signs to the know how to play, too. It will take the ent?. ~ces, o~ a]'l' city~ trails and, in sev~,,',~-' cooperati~n~ of~ the w~ole~snowmobil- eral instances, barricades. ................ in~-c6misur/ity or ~e~56'd~ Wfll~l~6'~e h~s hasn t stopped the problem. A lot is at stake. Snowmobiling within the urban