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Post by hdysans on Jun 1, 2013 16:01:53 GMT -5
I am hearing that many atv clubs and members believe that there is now a trail in Gorham, NH that comes down thru the business section. I want to make this perfectly clear. As of right now, there is NOT such a trail. We are waiting to have House Bill 383 to get signed by the Governor. It has passed, but needs her signature. We are also waiting for the Gorham Selectmen to set a date for a public meeting to get public input and then a request must go to the Department of Transportation and the Department of Safety for their approval. Those are the facts as I know them. When things happen, everyone will be notified in as many ways as I can think of.
Henry Sanschagrin President Presidential OHRV Club Gorham, NH
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Post by hdysans on Jun 5, 2013 13:18:18 GMT -5
There will be a Public Meeting concerning allowing atvs on Main Street in Gorham, NH on June 17th, 2013 at 7 PM at the Gorham Town Hall in the Auditorium on the 2nd floor. Please come and support this very important effort to bring some economic stimulus to this area. This meeting will be the last chance at doing this.
Please pass this along to any atver/atv group that you know.
Henry Sanschagrin President Presidential OHRV Club Gorham, NH
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rabid
Full Member
Posts: 126
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Post by rabid on Jun 5, 2013 19:16:52 GMT -5
from my understanding, the bill states that anyone who is not a licensed driver MUST be accompanied by a licensed driver when operating an atv on a public road. but this is progress. and progress is good! I think that its anyone under 18, but largely the change would be that the 14 and 15 year old would not be able to operate as they currently do, without adult supervision (as long as they have taken the safety class). There may be a few 16 and 17 year olds whom have never gotten a DL, maybe even an adult whom hasn't, but those are more rare. As for the DoT, that would have to due with the classification of that section of highway. Depending on classification, either the municipal elected officials (Board of Selectmen) or the DoT would get to make the decision. 1 through 3 is DoT, and 4 through 6 is municipal.
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Post by ltzbusa on Jun 6, 2013 13:25:57 GMT -5
does anyone know if there is any plans to connect to the Maine Trail system in the future now that we have this big network?
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Post by gotmoxie on Jun 6, 2013 22:44:31 GMT -5
"does anyone know if there is any plans to connect to the Maine Trail system in the future now that we have this big network?" From the Sunset ATV Riders(Success,NH) Good news for trails! Just got word that the connecter trail to Maine was approved and will be open on May 23rd. It has been signed and is ready to ride! All trails open on 23rd except for the trail to connect to Millsfield and points north, we are gonna have to wait 3 weeks (June 15th) for that one, just in time for the Grand opening at Coleman State Park. Have a great summer and see you on the trails! pS In Maine you enter the Letter B Notch Riders trails(Upton) and can go on to Andover and Byron and North to Roxbury and Rangeley etc. even hook to the Moose Loop Trail! Attachments:
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Post by hdysans on Jun 17, 2013 8:56:26 GMT -5
Hello everyone, There will be a public meeting tonight at the Town Hall in Gorham at 7 pm in the auditorium on the use of ATV's in Gorham. This town needs this, we have seen what it has done for Berlin especially during the ATV festival. This is a public meeting so anyone from any town can come. There are people from all over the North Country Attending to support this. Please Attend this meeting, Support your town and all the local business's that will also stand to gain from Hotels/Motels to gas stations and restaurants. This is our Town. Many people will benefit from allowing ATV's into town.
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Post by gotmoxie on Jun 19, 2013 18:37:52 GMT -5
ATV Boosters Carry the Hour at Hearing about ATV Usage on Public Roads
Gorham to open city streets to OHRV traffic during the Jericho ATV Festival June 18, 2013 Barbara Tetreault and Gail Scott The Berlin Daily Sun GORHAM—A standing-room-only crowd at a hearing at the Medallion Opera House Monday came down powerfully in favor of allowing ATVs to use the public highways in Gorham so they can access local restaurants, motels, and other businesses. Although Selectman Chairman Paul Robitaille allowed as how he would recognize one voice for and then one voice against alternately during the discussion, the voices for outnumbered the voices against. At the end of the nearly hour-and-a-half hearing, the selectmen unanimously approved three motions. Two motions were proposed by Selectman Bill Jackson: 1. that the Town of Gorham support the use of Routes 2 and 16 for ATV traffic as outlined in the proposal from N.H. Trails Bureau Chief Chris Gamache. This would open Routes 2 and 16 from the parking lot opposite the Multimodal Trail to the intersection of Bangor Street and Route 16, with the ATVs traveling at the prescribed 30 to 35 mph. 2. to have Gorham Police Chief P.J. Cyr develop a map, taking into consideration the snowmobile access that the town currently uses from side roads to the main roads. "I'm looking at the intratown ability to access the state road," Jackson elaborated. "We would like to see PJ develop that map and get it to us in the next two weeks." This second motion refers in part to a proposal by the Presidential ATV Club of Gorham to extend the Routes 2 and 16 approvals to a route along Bangor and other streets to provide local access to the Town and Country motel, plus other proposals to open local streets to ATVs so that local owners could ride from their houses to the trails. The thought behind such permission would be to relieve the parking crush at the lot on Route 2 where locals have to park their ATV trailers, taking up space that might more profitably be used by out-of-town visitors. The third motion, proposed by Selectman Jeff Schall, is for the town to open up all town roads during Jericho ATV Festival Weekend (July 26-27) as a pilot study and to have the Gorham police monitor the activity. The proposal received enthusiastic applause. Selectmen approved all three motions unanimously. Another proposal from the floor to investigate opening the multimodal trail to ATV traffic got interest, but no definite follow-up. According to Gamache, who spoke to the group, it would take action from New Hampshire's Congressional delegation to lift the federal ban on mechanized vehicles on the trail, which was built with federal money, as a possible alternate to the main route should Route 2 be flooded. The trail would bring ATV traffic from the parking place on Route 2 to Bellevue Avenue, by the Gorham Airport, and thereby to Main Street and the restaurants and motels of the town. Gamache noted that New Hampshire Senators Shaheen and Ayotte are solidly behind development in the North Country and U.S. Department of Transportation Commissioner Ray LaHood is an OHRV fan, so the proposal might find a welcoming audience in Washington, D.C. Few offered cautions about letting ATVs cruise the state roads. In a letter, Emergency Services Director Chad Miller, noted that the proposed route has heavy truck and car use—21 cars a minute in both lanes, one lane carrying a car every six seconds. "At the very least, the town's safety committee should monitor the use of the route," he wrote. A resident of Jimtown Road noted that when he enters Route 2 at Jimtown Road, driving the 30 mph prescribed speed, he is just about overwhelmed by cars and trucks tearing down from Gorham Hill, often at speeds of 50 and more. Considering how safety conscious car buyers have become about having seat belts, air bags, etc., he marveled that the town would now say it's ok for virtually unprotected ATV drivers to enter the melee where many drivers of cars pay no attention to the speed limit. The same resident also cited how noisy ATVs are, noting that he works where there is ATV traffic and it's noisy. Considering how town residents complain about jake brakes along this stretch of the road, he remarked it seemed ironic that now the town considers allowing ATV traffic. Another resident, listening to the multimodal option, remarked that having ATVs crossing Route 2 at that point would "open another can of worms." And yet another asked what about the extra costs of signage and police patrols that allowing ATVs on the main roads would incur. Gamache reassured her that the state provides signage—at this point Presidential ATV Club President Henry Sanschagrin showed off an attractive sign, supplied by the state, to the Ride the Wild communities up north. The state will also reimburse the town for ATV patrols performed by the local force, Gamache said. At this point, Jackson noted that the selectmen, in their meeting preceding the hearing, had approved an application for an OHRV Enforcement Grant of $1,080 from the state, which likely would cover the costs of Cyr's investigation into the use of side roads. The overwhelming number of speakers at the hearing were vehemently in favor of opening up the town roads. Some cited last weekend's opening of the Ride the Wild trails at the Colebrook State Park and the fact that northern New Hampshire towns were opening their roads to ATVs, including Pittsburg, Colebrook, Errol, West Stewartstown and more, while Gorham was being bypassed in this new gold rush. Sanschagrin pointed out that a coalition of 15 ATV clubs and two Chambers of Commerce were behind the Ride the Wild move, which aims to advertise the 1,000 miles of ATV trails in Coos County. He said they had just put together a brochure, 25,000 copies of which would soon be distributed, but Gorham is so behind the times that the area had not participated. "ATV traffic is growing. If we don't do this now, it's done," he said. "This is no longer a mill town, folks. We are a recreation town. We don't want to have the people from Massachusetts, from lower New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, wherever, coming up here and to keep on going north. It's you folks who will make the decision. We are not asking for permission from the selectmen. We are asking for the blessing of the selectmen because it's a state highway. Our plan has been cut back. We wanted to go to White Birches (campground) but the Forest Service won't let us go within 85 feet of their land." Indeed, the proprietor of White Birches noted that he had eight reservations from ATV families who were planning to take part June 23 in the ATV Day on the Auto Road. He said he had seen a falling off of snowmobile reservations because he couldn't guarantee a connection to the snowmobile trails from his campsite. "Gorham is a great community. We have great businesses in Gorham," said Keith Roberge. "But I drive to Berlin to get gas (for my ATV). We go to Berlin to eat. Errol is the hub of snowmobiling. Gorham needs to jump on this and not just Routes 2 and 16. We have local people parking in the parking space and going to Berlin for gas and food. We need to open up the side streets. I want to see the roads opened to the restaurants. I want to be able to get a flat tire fixed (in Gorham). "If we don't stand together and do this, we won't have the opportunity," he said. "If something happens on the road, we can handle it. ... not only 2 and 16 but a lot of short side roads. And if you have issues, address them as they come, but don't stop it. Taxes are high. Let's get people in here to help pay them." Michele Cormier of Randolph wondered how out-of-towners would understand what roads were open to ATVs and which, not. Gamache replied that "the reality is that we do that every day. They are allowed only on the posted routes. Up north there will be newspaper articles to advise the riders and the car operators, too. A specific sign means 'you can come here.'" An ATV club member spoke up to say that he was all for ATVs but the problem is when parents buy a machine and then just let the kids go off with them. "That's where the problems are," he said. A Promenade Street resident asked, "Who is going to police all these four wheelers. We have skidoos up there all the time and beer cans all over the place. The four wheelers will bring the same problems," he said. But Ray Bergeron, who has been in business in Gorham for 21 years with motorcycles, snowmobiles and snowmobile rentals, said "We bring in an unbelievable amounts of money to Gorham." He said he had customers from all over the world, some who can't even speak English, but who want to learn to ride. He said he teaches them, they have a big meal, they stay overnight. "It's good for the community," he said. "We're giving moose tours on these things. People love it. They have a ball."
He noted that Henry (Sanschagrin) has volunteers who educate new riders. "The enforcement part is not a big deal, and the snowmobile club, the ATV club, they bring a lot of money to the area," he said. Deb Stewart said that she and her family had been in Colebrook for the opening of the Ride the Wild trails and noted, "They have a map of all the areas where you can go or not go. They've done a great job. There is signage on the main roads and on the trails in Pittsburg, Colebrook, Stewartstown. It's a great opportunity to bring a lot of revenue into our little town and we are at the beginning (southernmost of the potential trail complex), so a lot of times people will come here and stay and take off from here. We are all about recreation: snowmobiling, snow shoeing, ATVing—that's who we are," she said. Picking up the theme of people coming to Gorham and maybe going through Gorham if the town doesn't hook up with services for tourists, Nathan Corrigan said that when he lived in Laconia, a friend would "come up here all the time to go four-wheeling and they stayed at the White Birches. In the last few years, it's easier for him to get on the trails in Colebrook and Pittsburg—he takes six guys twice a week—and comes up with his kids every other weekend." Ron Pelletier, of Errol, president of the Umbagog Club, said that his club had started working with Gamache in order to open up the DOT roads and four years later, the plan is working. What's more, he added, "You take snowmobiling, you have a bad winter and you have no snow and no snowmobiling, but you can ATV seven months in the year." Emile Croteau, of the Millsfield ATV Club, born and raised in Berlin, said, "When we started ATV trails, they were just foot trails, and they have grown to 140 miles. "We always complain about the state, but the state did a wonderful job on this. They gave us a groomer, grant money, furnished good grants and equipment to make the trails better. They bought Jericho Park and did a wonderful job with it. They did their part. I think it's time for the towns to do their part. The state really did a good job." And so it went, with one after another rising to say how important it is for Gorham to take part in the great ATV wave and open up the town to the visitors who are attracted to the North Country to ride the ATV trails. At the end of the meeting, some asked, "well, what now." Selectmen responded they would go ahead with the study that Cyr will do and then would be required to have another public hearing on the subject. "Well," said Rick King, 'I think this is a way of life for the North Country. This town should be more progressive in how they do this—open the highways and the side streets. Let's do it right." "We don't want to rush it or let time go by," remarked Jackson. And the meeting was adjourned.
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Post by hdysans on Jun 20, 2013 18:35:35 GMT -5
Whoever did/has done the Gorham to Success to Errol atv trail, would you please contact me at hdysans@ne.rr.com. Thank You very much.
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rabid
Full Member
Posts: 126
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Post by rabid on Jun 25, 2013 18:08:07 GMT -5
gotmoxie... The article is good, although has a couple falsehoods. The State can repay the federal government the development money from the OHRV Land Lease/Purchase Account and the OHRVs would be primary users. Governor Lynch offered me this option during the meeting with for BB. The WMNF allows winter access, but Wagner made it clear that no summer access would ever be granted that 'dead-ended' in the WMNF. So a trail-to-trail or trail-to-destination non-snowcover access is plausible.
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rabid
Full Member
Posts: 126
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Post by rabid on Jun 25, 2013 18:09:46 GMT -5
And of course the person that suggested that OHRV was a 'seven' month activity is wrong.
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Post by gotmoxie on Jun 28, 2013 21:18:53 GMT -5
Whoever did/has done the Gorham to Success to Errol atv trail, would you please contact me at hdysans@ne.rr.com. Thank You very much. Henry we did that June 15th for the Ride the Wilds Grand Opening and I led 29 quads and SidexSide's from Jericho Park to Log Haven Errol on June 21st as part of Gerry Pomerleau Memorial Ride Weekend. Email me any queries.
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Post by hdysans on Jun 30, 2013 16:24:49 GMT -5
Hello gotmoxie, I was wondering how the trail is from the Success parking lot up to the Seven Island bridge near Millsfield and whether some of you had to refill with gas along the way? Also, have any idea of the mileage from Success parking lot to Seven Island bridge? Thanks for any reply. Henry
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Post by ltzbusa on Jul 1, 2013 12:07:02 GMT -5
rode success from gorham and notice a lack of signage in the success trail. I was wondering if it is in the works to improve this in the near future to make it easier to navigate? ie trail map signs like jericho state park...
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Post by hdysans on Jul 2, 2013 11:03:12 GMT -5
Jericho ATV Festival is looking to borrow a disc-harrow with a 3-point hitch for the back of a tractor. Needed for churning up the mud at the mud pit prior to the ATV Festival At Jericho Mountain State Park on July 26 & 27. We don't want to buy it, just borrow it for a few days. If anyone has one, please e-mail me direct hdysans@ne.rr.com Thank You
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Post by hdysans on Jul 2, 2013 11:20:12 GMT -5
Itzbusa, If you go to sunsetridersatv.com/ and follow the facebook link, you will find a map of the Success to Millsfield trail system. You can also send the club an e-mail with your concerns about the signage. Success atv trails are now being taken care of by 2 clubs. The 1st part is by the AV ATV Club of Berlin, (about 12 miles) and the 2nd section is being taken care of the Sunset Riders ATV Club. I am not sure where both start/end of the trail.
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