GORHAM — The Board of Selectmen remains steadfast in its decision to not take a position on the proposal to open the Presidential Rail Trail to summer all terrain vehicle use despite a resident’s request to revisit the issue.

Resident Henry Sanschagrin met with the board Monday night asking it to send a letter of support to the Bureau of Trails so that the state could possibly begin to implement the first phases of the project to open the rail trail to A.T.V. use.

“Right now the state is waiting for an answer from board as to which way it’s going to go,” said Sanschagrin. Chairman Paul Robitaille said the board is waiting for the state to come before it to discuss the proposal before taking a position on the state’s proposal.

“We’re not prepared at this time to send a letter until the state comes to us,” said Robitaille. After the public hearing held in October, Robitaille said the state never contacted the board to come back and talk about opening the rail trail to A.T.V.s.

Robitaille said the board has some reservations about the proposal, and would like to see someone from the state come in to discuss some of the concerns.  He added once the board gets those answers and some of the concerns are met, it would revisit taking a stance on the proposal.

The proposed A.T.V. route would run along the existing rail trail along the east side of the Androscoggin River, crossing over the old rail trestle, crossing the Jimtown Road and ending up in Moose Brook State Park. The expanded use would help connect Gorham to the newly created route that connects both the Jericho Mountain State Park trails to the Success trails.

The state’s proposal was withdrawn this past winter, but the state may revisit the proposal at a later time.

In a letter to the Board of Selectmen, B.O.T. Chief Chris Gamanche cited conflicting input on the project and no comments from the board as the primary reasons why the state chose to withdrawn the proposal.

There are several misconceptions about the state’s proposal to open the trail, said Sanschagrin. First, he said the entire proposal would only affect Gorham, and not extend outwards into Randolph or Jefferson.

Secondly, Sanschagriin said the trail would not run through the Moose Brook State Park, but offer enough access for A.T.V. riders to get to their campsites.

The state initially proposed three phases of the project to open the trail systems in Gorham to A.T.V. use.

The first would open the portion of the trails from the gravel pit, across Route 16 and the river and eventually connect with the Berlin trails near the Big Apple.

The second phase would open the trail from the gravel pits west towards the Jimtown Road, and connect to Moose Brook State Park.

Sanschagrin said these are the most feasible phases to undertake at this time.

The third phase would involve opening the existing snowmobile trails to A.T.V.s, which would allow people to access the downtown.

Sanschagrin said because this would involve additional landowner permission, it wouldn’t be able to happen as quickly as the other proposed phases.

While the Board of Selectmen is waiting to hear from the state and discuss some concerns before taking a position, resident Glen Eastman said there is another step the state might need to consider before moving ahead with the proposal.

Eastman said the state formed a Presidential Rail Trail Committee to determine proper rules for management and use. He added a major finding of the committee was that the state would not allow A.T.V. use along the trail, and the state accepted that finding.

“I think the ruling still stands,” said Eastman. The state should considering revisiting or revoking the committee’s findings before moving forward with the proposal.