By Danielle Strenke

All-terrain vehicle owners and riders were on hand at the Chisago County Board meeting April 7 to ensure that the board would not make a hasty decision to ban ATV riding in the county.

Several concerned residents contacted individual commissioners last year reporting damage to property, roads and ditches from ATVs. Recent board discussion on imposing an ATV ordinance led to rumors that the board could adopt a policy similar to one in Washington County to ban ATV use.

Commissioner Ben Montzka said the board would not ban ATVs or regulate their use any further than the state statute unless the issue is thoroughly researched, including public hearings on the issue. ìThis seems like a non-issue,î he said. ìI appreciate that staff have followed through on complaints from Lent Township residents and I can understand their concern.î

At the meeting the commissioners reviewed photographs of severe damage from ATVs, including a road edge crumbling away because of ATVs riding next to pavement and a damaged driveway in a residential area.

Commissioner Rick Olseen said he is concerned that ATV users are not abiding by the state statutes. ìI have concern that weíre really damaging ditches,î he said. ìThere are residents concerned with ATVs crossing their driveways and there have been a couple that have nearly hit ATVs coming out of their own driveways.î

Olseen, who is on the Highway/Ditch Committee, said that group has been discussing options such as limiting ATV use during the critical months of March, April and May when ground frost begins to loosen and come to the surface.

ìI agree that we need to take time and look at this,î Olseen said. ìWe need public hearings on this, but until then, the state law is there.î

Olseen said a meeting between members of the committee, county officials and representatives from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been set for April 20 in North Branch to discuss ATV issues and begin looking at establishing ATV trails within the county.

Carla Waletzko, on behalf of a new ATV club formed in the North Branch, said she is relieved to hear that the board is not going to ban ATV use. ìMy husband has been working with the DNR to set up a meeting for the past two months,î she said. ìIt is my understanding that this meeting is to discuss a possible trail system and thatís our goal. We want to work with the board and address any issues so there wonít be a ban.î

Washington County resident Larry Keller told the board that he was involved in the process of adopting an ATV ordinance in Washington County and hopes that the Chisago County Board would not go to the extreme of banning ATV use.

Also at the meeting, the board approved its support to apply to the Minnesota Scenic Byways program. A task force has been working on completing the application before a May 1 deadline. The application is invalid without official support from the county.

Task force representative Bill Neumann told the board that the current scenic byway system across the state is noticeably lacking in the Chisago County area. The closest of the state-designated scenic byways are the Veterans Evergreen Memorial in portions of Pine County and the Great River Road which winds from southern Minnesota up through the Twin Cities area and north past Brainerd.

Scenic byways were established to take advantage of federal dollars available as well as promote tourism across the state, Neumann said. ìWe have a lot of scenery along this route as well as a lot of cultural opportunities,î he said.

The proposed byway would start in Washington County near Marine-on-the-St. Croix on Hwy. 95. It would follow Hwy. 95 north into Chisago County to Taylors Falls, move to CR 16 into Amador Township and then follow CR 81, CR 9 and CR 57 into Rush City before finally joining Hwy. 361 in Pine County.

Minnesota Dept. of Transportation representative Mark Anderson told the commissioners that the scenic byways already established across the state are linked heavily to tourism. A map of the scenic byway system is included in several Web sites, including the site for Explore Minnesota. ìIt has also provided different communities linkages to work together on something where they may have traditionally competed,î he said. Anderson said the only guidelines that would be imposed with a scenic byway designation would be regulations regarding new billboard advertising along the route.

The board approved support for applying for inclusion in the scenic byway program.

In other business, the board:

ï Agreed to take a road tour to survey conditions of roads throughout the county April 24, meeting at 9 a.m. at the Chisago County highway garage in Center City. Chisago County Commissioner Rick Olseen, as a member of the Highway/Ditches Committee, invited any interested county commissioners, county employees and members of the public to participate in the road tour. He also told the commissioners April 7 that state funding has been secured to repair $1.1 million in damage to county roads following damage from heavy rains and flooding last summer;

ï Set a public hearing for May 5 for the Chisago County Board to review building codes and revised fee schedules regarding permits and other fees associated with building and construction; and

ï Approved allowing Heartland Express to carry-over $50,390.78 in funds left over from 2003. Transit Director Jackie Forner requested that the funds be brought into the 2004 budget for Heartland Express, earmarked for a new transportation building that could possibly be built in Isanti County sometime in the future.

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