Amid a crackdown on illegal off-road vehicle operation, municipal representatives have agreed to gauge the possibility of designating a township-owned property as a safe haven for riders.
West Milford Councilman Lou Signorino said amending the town code to ease the complete ban of motorized vehicles from non-designated areas of municipal parkland deserves a discussion. Recently escalated enforcement for off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on public property is making criminals out of people who just want to ride their machines—on land that is not owned by them but belongs to them—he said.
"There’s a lot of people from in this town, outside of this town and from this state, and from out of this state [who] come here to ride ATVs," Signorino said.
Councilman Michael Hensley said he would welcome the dialog. Per the town code, only motor vehicles belonging to the state, county, and municipal government as well as the Board of Education are allowed to operate in non-designated areas of West Milford properties. Major landowners like the City of Newark, the State of New Jersey, Passaic County, the West Milford Board of Education, and the Passaic River Coalition all ban ATVs and dirt bikes as well.
"You cannot ride these vehicles anywhere," Signorino said.
With the advent of spring and the noise complaints from residents, the West Milford Police Department implemented a zero-tolerance policy for ATVs with corresponding signage at Random Woods off Ridge Road. According to Police Chief Timothy Storbeck, the 99-acre municipal open space holding’s trail network is a considerable attraction for small off-road vehicles.
"You go in there, we confiscate your quad, period," interim Township Administrator Robert Casey said. "We had some complaints from neighbors. We’re trying to quiet that area down."
Local government officials followed that up by requesting additional measures to prevent damage to the grounds of the historic Wallisch farmstead on Lincoln Avenue.
"When you have a special situation like Wallisch, where you have a group ... putting money into preservation and there is some historical value to it, maybe there could be some special consideration. But when you have something like a Random Woods why wouldn’t the council consider ... the idea of having ATVs in some of our properties?" Signorino said.
"I don’t know if it’s even legal. But it’s something like when you go to Ringwood, everybody’s seen the graffiti wall. Graffiti is illegal. But they’re going to do it anyway. So they give them a spot to do it. To me, that’s a great idea, if we can apply that to ATVs and ... dirt-bikes," he said.
Making that a reality, however, is another story, Signorino added. Community considerations, legalities, and insurance all come into play. There also may be conservation restrictions from acquisition grants for certain properties that ban motor vehicles as well as the construction of a key component of any off-road park, according to Councilwoman Ada Erik.
"You have to have parking to have access," Erik said. "What stops all active recreation? You have to give parking."
While an ATV park has the potential to be a considerable draw, Hensley, also of the township’s Economic Development Commission, said he may not want that outcome.
"I’m not too keen on the idea of people from Pennsylvania or New York State coming to Random Woods," Hensley said. "But if there was some sort of clause ... perhaps a West Milford resident qualification."
The township can restrict access on properties purchased exclusively with municipal funds, according to Township Attorney Fred Semrau. However, that would not be the case for property purchased with state Green Acres funds. Those properties, like Random Woods, are open to all state residents.
Email: zimmer@northjersey.com
