NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 3, 2016
CONTACT: Victor Lund, Traffic Engineer
218-625-3873
Public meetings set to get input on ATV use on County Roads
St. Louis County engineers are developing an ordinance that potentially will allow all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to be used on some County Roads. Prior to drafting the ordinance, they would like the public to weigh in on the matter, and so have planned a series of informational meetings throughout the County to gather input and answer questions. Three meetings have been scheduled:
Thursday, February 11, 6 p.m., Midway Township Town Hall, 3230 Midway Road
Monday, February 22, 6 p.m., Vermilion Community College, (Room CL 104) 1900 East Camp Street, Ely
Thursday, February 25, 6 p.m., St. Louis County Public Works Office in Virginia, (downstairs large training room) 7823 Highway 135
Each meeting will include a short presentation, a question and answer period, plus time to fill out a comment card.
Recent changes to state law give counties the authority to regulate the use of ATVs on county roads. Last fall, the County Board voted that an ATV usage policy is needed, recognizing that there are many ATV trails within the County that would require use of County Roads to travel from one trail to the next.
"We want a policy that is well thought out and serves the needs of all of St. Louis County - one that connects our trails, helps our tourism industry and ensures safety," said Commissioner Tom Rukavina, "and to do that, we want input from the public."
Once public input is gathered, engineers will draft an ordinance and present it to the County Board for consideration. The draft ordinance will then be put out for public review and comment. Final edits will then be made and presented to the County Board for possible adoption. The goal is to finalize the ATV ordinance by late April.
Anyone interested in providing input on the proposed ATV ordinance who is not able to attend one of the public meetings may submit comments by emailing atv@stlouiscountymn.gov, calling (218) 625-3830 or mailing to: ATV Ordinance c/o St. Louis County Public Works, 4787 Midway Road, Duluth, MN 55811. Comments must be received by March 4, in order to be considered in the initial draft of the proposed ordinance.
Additional information is available online at stlouiscountymn.gov/ATV.
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 Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
St. Louis County is considering an ordinance that would allow ATV use on County Roads. Public input is wanted as the process begins to write the ordinance.
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