After months of deliberation, organizing and petitioning, Morristown residents have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to allow ATVs on some local roads.
“I’ve been on the Selectboard for 13 years, I’ve been the chairman for 10, and in the whole time that I’ve been on, that’s the most contentious issue I’ve ever dealt with, which is just crazy,” Morristown Selectboard Chair Bob Beeman said.
The proposal, which was one of four items on a special Town Meeting ballot on Dec. 7, would have allowed ATVs on Silver Ridge Road, Trombley Hill Road and Frazier Road, as well as sections of other streets. It was defeated 1,377 to 414.
Similar conversations about whether to allow ATVs on local roads are happening in many other communities across the state, said Danny Hale, executive director of the Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association. VASA supports leaving decisions of ATV access up to local communities, Hale said, but they provide resources for trail maintenance and safety.
In Morristown, those in favor of the proposal said it was meant to connect the town to a larger section of trails in Hyde Park and farther north and would give ATV riders a nearby place to fuel up and buy food. Proponents argued it would attract more business locally, and make Morristown a stop for ATV enthusiasts both from other parts of Vermont and out of state.
Shannon Friedrich, former president of the local Green Mountain ATV club, said he first approached the selectboard with a much more expansive idea of where ATVs could be allowed in town, but then scaled it back. Much of the designated trail north of Morristown is actually road where ATVs are allowed, Friedrich said.
Residents who organized against ATVs on roads expressed concerns that ATVs were loud and potentially dangerous for pedestrians and riders.
“We have a young daughter and spend a lot of time outside in our yard, and part of the reason that we settled down here is because of the peace and quiet, and being able to enjoy it,” said Shelly Severinghaus, who moved to Morristown from a neighboring area in 2015, and is a member of Friends of Morristown Roads.
Severinghaus said she also worried about how ATV traffic could affect local property values, and whether it would discourage visitors from coming to Morristown for non-motorized sports, such as biking.
Some saw this as part of a larger question about the character of the town, and what business the town should aim to attract.
“If that’s what you want, and that’s the income you want, is to have the noise and congestion that they bring, well that’s good for you,” said Tom Cloutier, whose property abuts Silver Ridge Road. “But a small town like Morrisville … I think the town would be better off with the walking trail, the rail trail and the bike people that are coming in, and that kind of recreational area.”
The Morristown Selectboard had opened up its portion of less than a mile of Silver Ridge Road to ATVs in 2019, in what was first intended as a temporary trial period, Beeman said. Then Covid-19 became front-of-mind and other issues took priority. The selectboard didn’t take further action on Silver Ridge until some residents who lived nearby complained to the selectboard and posted about the issue online.
Cloutier and his wife moved to their home near Silver Ridge in 2018. They are retired and intended it to be their last move after living in Vermont for several decades. They liked the quiet, Cloutier said.
But the following summer, noise from ATVs often riding in groups frequently pestered them from early in the morning until dark, sometimes making it too loud to read or hold a conversation outside, Cloutier said.
Beeman said he’s looked to Newport as an example of how expanded ATV access in town can support local business. Newport residents voted to allow ATVs on downtown streets in 2020 after months of deliberation there.
“They were asking for less than 2% of the roads in Morristown. There’s 106 miles of road in Morristown, and they were asking for less than two miles of it,” Beeman said. “And I thought that was a great compromise.”
While last week’s vote was nonbinding, and the selectboard still could choose to allow ATV traffic, the selectboard would follow voters’ decision on the issue, said Gary Nolan, who is both a selectboard member and treasurer of VASA.
The sport’s popularity in Vermont has grown “tremendously” in the past two years, said Hale, of the Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association. In that time, VASA has grown from about 4,000 members to about 6,000.
Hale attributes this to Covid, partially, as many people were looking for new ways to get outside. He also noted that a 2020 state law required ATV users to register with the state and put a trail access decal on their vehicle.
Much of the VASA trail in Vermont is actually on roads, as state law bans ATVs on public lands.
Friedrich agreed that ATVs on roads aren’t his ideal solution either, and he would prefer riding on separate, off-road trails.
Being out in the woods is “kind of the spirit of the whole sport, as far as I’m concerned,” he said, but state law makes this difficult. Asking private landowners and logging companies to allow ATVs on their property is a tough sell, Friedrich said.
By contrast, New Hampshire allows ATV trails on some public lands.
“I don’t like to ride around people’s homes any more than someone likes to be ridden around. It’s kind of an out in the woods, see the wilderness type thing for me, personally,” Friedrich said.
Also in last week’s vote, Morristown residents ratified Stowe’s withdrawal from the Lamoille South Unified Union School District and decided to allow cannabis retailers in town.
Clarification: Information about ATV use in New Hampshire has been clarified.
