[color=CC0000]IMPORTANT REPOST.
IF YOU KNOW OF ANY CURRENT RIDES GOING HERE WARN THEM![/color]
WELLSVILLE OFFICIALLY CLOSED
LUCILLE HUSTON
lhuston@reviewonline.com
OHIO
10/7/2006
ATV riders and others warned: No trespassing
By LUCILLE HUSTON, lhuston@reviewonline.com
SALINE TOWNSHIP - Riders of ATVs beware!
You are no longer permitted to ride on private property in Columbiana or Jefferson counties in the area south of the village of Wellsville.
Law enforcement officers, township officials, Wellsville village officials and representatives of the railroad met Friday to plan strategy to stop the trespassing by ATV riders on land being considered for industrial development.
A concerted effort is being made to warn riders peacefully. Information is being distributed through hand-out materials, riders are being halted and told to leave the area as they bring their ATVs in on the roadways and campground owners are being told how to handle persons who should not be on their property.
However, enforcement is expected to start within the next few weeks if persons continue to enter the private property.
All-terrain vehicle riders come from all over Ohio as well as outside the state. Many transport their vehicles several hours to reach Saline Township. A posting on the internet says the area has 4,000 acres of property on which to ride.
Saline Township Police Chief Ken Hayes says that is not true. It?s a myth because all property is private property belonging to someone and, he says, is off-limits. He cited the problem getting ambulances into the area when they are needed. He said safety has always been a prime concern, but most times, no one even reports an accident. Police are not wanted in an area where persons know they should not be.
ATV riding has been going on in the area for years. The site is considered a prime site for riding.
Rudy Husband of the Norfolk Southern Railroad says trespassing on railroad property, and particularly on the tracks, is very hazardous.
Last year in the country, some 500 people were killed in accidents with trespassers on rail tracks. Husband said that number is higher than those killed at grade railroad crossings.
The railroad has been fighting trespassers for so long Husband said he has lost track of the number of years. ?We put up ?no trespassing? signs and they are torn down almost faster than we can put them up.?
?We have tried education, but now we plan to take action. We will prosecute. We will turn to the enforcement side,? he said in conclusion.
Chief Hayes says the problems have always been a concern that the department has been battling. Each year someone is killed. Each year more than a hundred are injured - and that number is only those reported.
?There are broken bones and other injuries constantly,? Saline Township trustee Joe Urich commented.
The problem has come front and center due to the announcement recently that a coal conversion plant is to be located in the area.
?It is a safety factor. We can?t have people interested in developing this property dodging ATVs as they inspect the land,? Hayes said. He noted that officials want to work with the Port Authority to insure that industry comes to this part of Ohio, adding that between 1,000 and 2,000 jobs would really be a boon and good for the people of the valley.
Robert A. Karwoski, special agent with Norfolk Southern railroad police, said the railroad also has started notifying persons they cannot ride. The company has had leaflets printed which they are distributing. He offered to assist officials here in developing a short, to the point, notice for distribution.
Saline Township has placed mounds of gravel in the roadways, but someone levels them and enters the property anyway. No trespassing signs have been erected through the years. There is no stop to erecting them. The riders or other individuals take them down.
Last week, riders approaching were told they could not ride and some turned away without problems.
One of the hindrances to enforcement is some of the entry roads are public highways. Although ATVs are not permitted on any roadway in Ohio, they are brought in by truck. Officials are advising those driving the trucks they cannot get through, that they should turn around and leave.
Urich said he has been told by riders. ?I have a sticker.? He said he understands with a sticker from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles they can ride.
?Not true,? said Hayes. This got started in one county, but according to the Ohio Revised Code, the sticker is only a registration - not a permit for the roadways. ?Riding ATVs on any roadway is illegal. We will stop it.? He added that the only exemption is for farmers who are permitted to move to and from fields on ATVs.
The area along old state Route 7 is one of the problem areas where riders enter private property. Wellsville Mayor Joe Surace agreed to have a police officer at the site four hours Saturday and Sunday. The officers will attempt to stop the riders, will hand them information about the unavailability of the site, but will not make arrests - at least not this first weekend.
However, one difference to that is that arrests will be made if persons are driving under the influence or create problems in any other way.
The enforcement is to be checked with prosecutors and others so officials handle arrests properly when they start making them.
Officials admitted the area has had ATV riders for so many years that a complete change will not come overnight. ?But, we have to start somewhere,? Hayes said.
He added that he has consulted with the Jefferson County Prosecutor who has told them he is behind them.
When arrests start, prosecution also will start, he indicated.
Hayes said he has had continual complaints for the past 15 years about illegal entry and dumping on the property. He said he probably has on hand a complaint from every property owner in the area.
He said cars are stolen, brought to the area and burned, pushed into the river and shot at. He also indicated drugs, alcohol and thefts are a problem.
All agreed industry coming to the area is something badly needed, and they want to do everything they can to make the transition occur smoothly.
