Who Should Pay for Damage from Snowmobiles?
Casey Conley
Conway Daily Sun
May 11, 2008
Conway —After learning of extensive damage to town infrastructure caused in part by heavier-than-normal snowmobile traffic, selectmen and town officials are grappling with who should get stuck with the bill.
Town engineer Paul DegliAngeli estimated costs could reach $30,000 to repair a well-worn path across North-South Road and railroad parts and equipment on Barnes Road and West Side Road.
Both the volume of riders and the existence of carbide-spiked tracks on late-model snowmobiles exacerbated normal wear and tear along the popular corridor, he said.
“The question is, do we want to chalk this up to
wear and tear and fix it out of money from the public works budget … or do we
want to require that state snowmobile clubs post some sort of escrow fund to
help pay for damages?” DegliAngeli asked.
Selectman Mark Hounsell suggested the town should “cover the expense caused by
the snowmobiles during the 2007-2008 season” so long as snowmobile clubs agree
to reimburse future costs to the town or risk losing access to Conway’s
extensive trail network.
Board chair Larry Martin said closing access to Conway’s segment of Corridor 19, a major longitudinal route that runs along the eastern part of the state from the North Country south into Rochester, was not a viable option. “Before I get on the bandwagon with this, I think we should check with the New Hampshire Trails Bureau to see what they could do to assist us. If the political breaks down, then I would support [Hounsell’s] measure.”
In telephone interview Wednesday, Martin said asking snowmobile clubs to set aside money up front for repairs and maintenance seemed unfair given town support of other forms of outdoor recreation during the course of the year. “We do so little right now as a town for the snowmobile industry,” said Martin, a self-described “avid supporter” of local snowmobiling.
“We support everything else from the cross country skiing, skiing in general … and mountain biking and hiking to support the trails. The way I feel is, don’t put the burden on recreational users. It’s not fair to single them out.”
Selectmen tabled Hounsell’s measure and instructed town manager Earl Sires to see what funds are available from state or local agencies to help defray repair costs.