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When Natasha Mason moved to her heritage house along the Mississippi River in Almonte four-and-a-half years ago, it seemed like a dream come true.
“I never thought when we found the place that this would be a problem,” Mason said. “We thought we’d found a little place of paradise.”
What Mason didn’t realize, however, was that the County of Lanark had plans for the abandoned rail line that runs along the back of her property, just 25 metres from her bedroom. Purchased from CP by the county in 2017 for $100,000, the renamed Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail (OVRT) is set to become a pathway for snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, part of a network of trails that runs across Renfrew County, through Lanark County to Smiths Falls.
“The reason we chose our house is because it’s quiet,” said Mason, who suffers from severe anxiety. “I don’t see why people should be allowed to destroy my peaceful living. All I’m trying to do is live in my house.”
Others fear the motorized vehicles will pose a danger on a trail that’s now used by children, skiers and dog-walkers.
Lanark sees the trail as a tourism draw: Seven of the county’s eight municipalities voted in favour of opening up the trail to motorized vehicles. For now, however, the Almonte portion is closed while the county waits for proposals to rehabilitate the old railway bridge that spans the Mississippi River and links the trail’s north and south ends. The county is ready to spend $1.5 million on the trail in town, adding guardrails to the bridge and gravel along the roughly two kilometre stretch through town.
The lone holdout is Mississippi Mills, the township that includes Almonte, and Mayor Shaun McLaughlin concedes he feels outgunned by the other members of county council.
“So far, the county has not been willing to compromise on any single issue. Not even a nudge,” said McLaughlin. “It’s frustrating. My colleagues on county council have put us in this position. I feel somewhat bullied by the county because they’re not listening to the concerns of our residents. I’m frustrated by this impasse.
“The people came out to Almonte for its charm and its peace and quiet. There is nothing charming, peaceful or quiet about an ATV,” McLaughlin said. “ATVs are godawful loud.”
Mississippi Mills proposed a bypass around Almonte that would keep the snowmobiles and ATVs out of the town, but the detour was long, crossing the Mississippi at Appleton, and would need the consent of more than a dozen private landowners. Council rejected it.
“Unless we start building a new bridge, we can’t give them a shorter one,” McLaughlin said. “There are just no other bridges for them to cross.”
The railway bridge over the Mississippi is the jewel in the crown for those who want motorized vehicles on the trail.
Lanark County Council has issued a request for proposals to rehabilitate the former CP Rail bridge in Almonte, part of the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail.
“Any bypass around Almonte is going to have the barrier of the river — that’s the reason we want to use the bridge,” said Darin McRae, president of the 1,000-member Beautiful Eastern Association of Snowmobile Trails club — BEAST for short.
“One of our obligations is to build safe trails. And one of the things we’re trying to do is get off ice. Ice crossing is not safe. It doesn’t matter how well it’s checked. That’s one of the critical things for us: bridges. In Almonte, it’s to get over the Mississippi River.”
Homeowners’ worries about the noise and pollution from snowmobiles are overblown, he said. Modern snowmobiles use four-stroke engines that are quieter and cleaner than their predecessors, he said. And warmer weather has meant the snowmobiling season lasts for just a few weeks in winter, when people’s windows are closed.
But ATVs are another matter. They’re noisier and their season is longer and is mostly in summer when residents have their windows open. And ATV riders in general, are less responsible operators than snowmobilers, says McLaughlin. “They’re scofflaws,” he said.
He sees the dispute as a classic fight of rural vs. urban lifestyle.
“It’s a different culture,” says McLaughlin, who lives in the rural part of Mississippi Mills and is used to the sound of vehicles speeding along trails that are about 500 metres from his house.
“I wouldn’t impose urban lifestyle on rural people. I just wouldn’t do that. I’m not sure why they think they can impose their lifestyle on urban people.
“When you look at a clash between two rights, you look at who would suffer the most harm if something happened. Right now, ATVs and snowmobiles aren’t allowed to go through Almonte. So we would take nothing away from them. If they are allowed to go through Almonte, it takes away peace and quiet from residents. There is harm.”
Mississippi Mills is looking into its legal rights in the matter, including whether the municipality’s bylaws trump county council’s laws. But the best hope, McLaughlin says, is to reach a compromise on the trail use. The township is to meet on Monday with County Warden John Fenik. Fenik, who is also mayor of Perth, maintains the county has the right to allow motorized vehicles on the trail, even though he sympathizes with Almonte residents.
“I understand if the trail came right through the heart of my town, I’d probably have some problems with that. I understand where Almonte residents are coming from. I’ve walked the trail. It’s a beautiful community. It’s a heritage community. Who wants ATVs and snowmobiles shooting through the middle of their town?”
At the same time, the OVRT will be a powerful tourism draw for Lanark, luring motorsports enthusiasts to local businesses. Carleton Place council has embraced the trail, which also cuts through that town though not as close to homes as it does in Almonte.
“I’ve got lots of emails from people in Almonte saying, ‘This is tyranny’ … ‘You’re ramming it down our throats’ and ‘We don’t want it,’ Fenik said.
“But (county) administration, our planning and roads departments, are saying, ‘This is our property and we have the legal right to do this.’ …
“We do have the authority to turn that into a road,” Fenik said.
Fenik has proposed everything from flatbed trucks that would load ATVs and snowmobiles on the outskirts of Almonte and driving them around town, imposing strict curfews or limiting the length of the season for snowmobiles or ATV use.
“I’m the eternal optimist,” Fenik said. “I’m hoping we can come to some kind of a compromise.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
查看原文...
“I never thought when we found the place that this would be a problem,” Mason said. “We thought we’d found a little place of paradise.”
What Mason didn’t realize, however, was that the County of Lanark had plans for the abandoned rail line that runs along the back of her property, just 25 metres from her bedroom. Purchased from CP by the county in 2017 for $100,000, the renamed Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail (OVRT) is set to become a pathway for snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, part of a network of trails that runs across Renfrew County, through Lanark County to Smiths Falls.
“The reason we chose our house is because it’s quiet,” said Mason, who suffers from severe anxiety. “I don’t see why people should be allowed to destroy my peaceful living. All I’m trying to do is live in my house.”
Others fear the motorized vehicles will pose a danger on a trail that’s now used by children, skiers and dog-walkers.
Lanark sees the trail as a tourism draw: Seven of the county’s eight municipalities voted in favour of opening up the trail to motorized vehicles. For now, however, the Almonte portion is closed while the county waits for proposals to rehabilitate the old railway bridge that spans the Mississippi River and links the trail’s north and south ends. The county is ready to spend $1.5 million on the trail in town, adding guardrails to the bridge and gravel along the roughly two kilometre stretch through town.
The lone holdout is Mississippi Mills, the township that includes Almonte, and Mayor Shaun McLaughlin concedes he feels outgunned by the other members of county council.
“So far, the county has not been willing to compromise on any single issue. Not even a nudge,” said McLaughlin. “It’s frustrating. My colleagues on county council have put us in this position. I feel somewhat bullied by the county because they’re not listening to the concerns of our residents. I’m frustrated by this impasse.
“The people came out to Almonte for its charm and its peace and quiet. There is nothing charming, peaceful or quiet about an ATV,” McLaughlin said. “ATVs are godawful loud.”
Mississippi Mills proposed a bypass around Almonte that would keep the snowmobiles and ATVs out of the town, but the detour was long, crossing the Mississippi at Appleton, and would need the consent of more than a dozen private landowners. Council rejected it.
“Unless we start building a new bridge, we can’t give them a shorter one,” McLaughlin said. “There are just no other bridges for them to cross.”
The railway bridge over the Mississippi is the jewel in the crown for those who want motorized vehicles on the trail.
Lanark County Council has issued a request for proposals to rehabilitate the former CP Rail bridge in Almonte, part of the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail.
“Any bypass around Almonte is going to have the barrier of the river — that’s the reason we want to use the bridge,” said Darin McRae, president of the 1,000-member Beautiful Eastern Association of Snowmobile Trails club — BEAST for short.
“One of our obligations is to build safe trails. And one of the things we’re trying to do is get off ice. Ice crossing is not safe. It doesn’t matter how well it’s checked. That’s one of the critical things for us: bridges. In Almonte, it’s to get over the Mississippi River.”
Homeowners’ worries about the noise and pollution from snowmobiles are overblown, he said. Modern snowmobiles use four-stroke engines that are quieter and cleaner than their predecessors, he said. And warmer weather has meant the snowmobiling season lasts for just a few weeks in winter, when people’s windows are closed.
But ATVs are another matter. They’re noisier and their season is longer and is mostly in summer when residents have their windows open. And ATV riders in general, are less responsible operators than snowmobilers, says McLaughlin. “They’re scofflaws,” he said.
He sees the dispute as a classic fight of rural vs. urban lifestyle.
“It’s a different culture,” says McLaughlin, who lives in the rural part of Mississippi Mills and is used to the sound of vehicles speeding along trails that are about 500 metres from his house.
“I wouldn’t impose urban lifestyle on rural people. I just wouldn’t do that. I’m not sure why they think they can impose their lifestyle on urban people.
“When you look at a clash between two rights, you look at who would suffer the most harm if something happened. Right now, ATVs and snowmobiles aren’t allowed to go through Almonte. So we would take nothing away from them. If they are allowed to go through Almonte, it takes away peace and quiet from residents. There is harm.”
Mississippi Mills is looking into its legal rights in the matter, including whether the municipality’s bylaws trump county council’s laws. But the best hope, McLaughlin says, is to reach a compromise on the trail use. The township is to meet on Monday with County Warden John Fenik. Fenik, who is also mayor of Perth, maintains the county has the right to allow motorized vehicles on the trail, even though he sympathizes with Almonte residents.
“I understand if the trail came right through the heart of my town, I’d probably have some problems with that. I understand where Almonte residents are coming from. I’ve walked the trail. It’s a beautiful community. It’s a heritage community. Who wants ATVs and snowmobiles shooting through the middle of their town?”
At the same time, the OVRT will be a powerful tourism draw for Lanark, luring motorsports enthusiasts to local businesses. Carleton Place council has embraced the trail, which also cuts through that town though not as close to homes as it does in Almonte.
“I’ve got lots of emails from people in Almonte saying, ‘This is tyranny’ … ‘You’re ramming it down our throats’ and ‘We don’t want it,’ Fenik said.
“But (county) administration, our planning and roads departments, are saying, ‘This is our property and we have the legal right to do this.’ …
“We do have the authority to turn that into a road,” Fenik said.
Fenik has proposed everything from flatbed trucks that would load ATVs and snowmobiles on the outskirts of Almonte and driving them around town, imposing strict curfews or limiting the length of the season for snowmobiles or ATV use.
“I’m the eternal optimist,” Fenik said. “I’m hoping we can come to some kind of a compromise.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
查看原文...
