Off-highway road vehicles will continue to be allowed to travel in Hopkinton, but only on certain parts of Pine Street and Park Avenue area of town after a local ATV club withdrew their request to allow vehicles to travel along Bound Tree Road.
The select board voted to remove the sunset clause attached to the off -highway road vehicles ordinance Monday night, making the ordinance permanent. There was also a proposed expansion of where OHRV are allowed to travel, but the Bound Tree Road ATV Club withdrew their proposal after several residents spoke out against the expansion during a public hearing.
Removing the sunset clause, which went into effect September 2015 and expired at the beginning of November, caused little fuss, and was passed by the board, according to select board Chairman Jim O’Brien. But 15 to 20 Bound Tree residents had something to say about allowing OHRVs to travel on their road.
Currently, OHRVs are allowed to travel on certain parts of Pine Street to connect to local trails from the end of May until the beginning of November. This allows riders to pass through the front fire station parking lot and cross Park Avenue to reach Dimitri’s Pizza’s parking lot, as well as travel to the Henniker town line. The proposal would have allowed travel along the entire length of the road from its intersection at Pine Street all the way to the Warner, Henniker and Hopkinton town lines, known as the Bound Tree Corner.
An OHRV is defined as “any mechanically propelled vehicle used for pleasure or recreational purposes running on rubber tires, tracks or cushion of air and dependent on the ground or surface for travel, or other unimproved terrain whether covered by ice or snow or not, where the operator sits in or on the vehicle” in the town’s ordinance. It does not include snowmobiles.
O’Brien said the residents who spoke were not necessarily against having OHRVs in the town, but were concerned about the additional noise they might bring to the area, as well as safety concerns. He said many claimed the road has several blind spots and tricky curves, along with its dirt surface, that might make travel dangerous if cars and OHRVs were traveling at the same time.
The discussion caused the Bound Tree ATV Club, who maintains the network of trails in the area, to withdraw their proposal before the select board had a chance to vote on it, O’Brien said. He felt the club did so because they wanted to continue to be on good terms with the townspeople.
“I was impressed by how cordial and respectful the conversation was,” he said. “I think it came down to an issue of safety, and we hope to have a workable solution that will allow us to continue to have and expand ATV trails in the area.”
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309 or candrews@cmonitor.com.)