Northumberland OHV park 1st public meeting

[Irongrave]

For all of those interested Tues the 27th will be the first Public meeting of the new Northumberland County OHV / multi-use Park.

The Meeting is at 6:00pm. Lacation is the Shamokin Area High School Auditorium.

We need a good showing of interested persons. This means everyone that reads this and can make the drive. We expect frim resistance from a few very vocal groups. We need to make sure that we get as many persons to the meeting that are not locals. Locals we need you there as well!

The largest misconception is that the area will only be used by the same type of people they notice now. The drunks, litter bugs, drug trafficing, and other "undesirables." Most people in town never notice the respectable groups that have been, or are still using the area.

I will post up more information on the meeting as I get it.

If you are in a club/group or know 5 other people that enjoy our sport, tell them.

This first public meeting will be your best opportunity to have your own input into the development of the park. The Northumberland County officials, and the design and engineering firms, will be there to hear your ideas and comments.
The goal of the project is to build what you guys/gals want and need for your motorized and non-motorized recreational activities. Having 6000+ acres of abandon strip mine land ,that has been used extensively for off-roading for the last 40 years, is a great start.
Check out Facebook and the our web page for updates and progress on the park. Please leave a comment letting us know what you think.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Northu...2542490?ref=ts (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Northumberland-County-OHV-Park/141351402542490?ref=ts)

http://www.ohv.norrycopa.net/index.htm

[chedisme]

Id love to go to this and show my support but 3 hours(each way) is kind of far to travel just to spent a few hours there.

good luck

[kastein]

If it was 2-3 hours away I would be there... but it is a 5-6 hour drive. Good luck!

[MoFo]

I don't know where this area is. You should have a map on the home page for the link you posted. I can't find a map there anywhere. After a few minutes I am done looking. Good luck with your efforts.

[Captain Ruggy]

I like the idea, but ALOT of local people are pretty upset that all their free off roading areas are about to be no longer free.

I am curious as to how they plan to secure this area, it's huge and there are more ways into the land then they can possibly stop. I think if the drunk idiots that trash it now, want to trash it then. They still will. It's just too big of an area to secure.

[chedisme]

I like the idea, but ALOT of local people are pretty upset that all their free off roading areas are about to be no longer free.

I am curious as to how they plan to secure this area, it's huge and there are more ways into the land then they can possibly stop. I think if the drunk idiots that trash it now, want to trash it then. They still will. It's just too big of an area to secure.



you have a point, but does that mean we shouldn't even try to regulate it?

if we stopped even 1/10th of the drunk Aholes from screwing the place up, would that not be better then the way it is now?

and with the money the land earns as a park can be put towards further securing and cleaning of the property.

I think we have to start somewhere.

[Captain Ruggy]

No, by all means try. I just know most of the area very well and I know there are literally hundreds of entry points to that land. Even more for atv's.

Just wondering where the money will be coming from to supply the kind of manpower it would take to effectively keep people off that shouldn't be there.

[Black out]

When they start hiring Ill fill out an app I need a job.

[xjphil18]

Wouldn't that just encourage the locals to trash it even more if they have to pay for something they have been doing their whole lives?

[chedisme]

Wouldn't that just encourage the locals to trash it even more if they have to pay for something they have been doing their whole lives?

wouldn't doing nothing let them continue to trash it, and leave us about 6000 acres of land that we cant use.




How did the meeting go? any updates?

[Captain Ruggy]

Like I said. The idea is good, but I am still curious as to how exactly they plan on securing the land.

There are a LOT of local people that wheel there and will continue to wheel there whether they should or not. This is a depressed area with not a whole lot of stuff going on. You try to take something away that has been free for so long and there is bound to be some trouble.

There are a lot of spots we used to like going to that we avoid now because half the time there happens to be rowdy drunks there.

If the state and local police can't keep people off the land, then how is a private company with no arresting powers? This is far too big of an area to be all fenced off. And there is no easy way to patrol it all.

From what I understood, there were alot of questions at the meeting, but not many answers.

[Andy in Pa.]

Like I said. The idea is good, but I am still curious as to how exactly they plan on securing the land.

There are a LOT of local people that wheel there and will continue to wheel there whether they should or not. This is a depressed area with not a whole lot of stuff going on. You try to take something away that has been free for so long and there is bound to be some trouble.

There are a lot of spots we used to like going to that we avoid now because half the time there happens to be rowdy drunks there.

If the state and local police can't keep people off the land, then how is a private company with no arresting powers? This is far too big of an area to be all fenced off. And there is no easy way to patrol it all.

From what I understood, there were alot of questions at the meeting, but not many answers.

Paragon had the same problem. They did what they could to block off any of the illegal entrances into the park, but the simple fact was there were close to a dozen ways to get in there, especially for ATV's. They policed the land the best they could, but that was ALOT of ground to cover. I am sure MANY folks got into Paragon without paying.

I am not sure how this particuler land we are discussing here is being managed now, (if it is privately owned, and the Offroad park is planning on leasing it/buying it from the current owner), but if its privately owned, and you don't have permission to be on it, then your tresspassing. The offroad park may just need to put up No Tresspassing signs to let the locals know its privately owned and keep the "honest" people out....

[Captain Ruggy]

I think most if not all of the land is owned by reading anthracite. You buy a permit to legally use their land for recreation. I See hundreds of people out there every weekend. I have yet to see anyone else with a permit. Most of the local cops don't care that people are trespassing. They have better things to do I guess.

There are literally hundreds of ways onto the land. Especially for atv's. A lot of the land is littered up with trash and glass and stuff like that. People go out and throw crap everywhere and don't care. There's huge parties every weekend all over the place, and honestly, if I were a security guard, I would NOT approach one of these gatherings and tell them to leave and actually expect them to go.

I don't see how it could be secured and actually be profitable. Were talking 6000 acres of coal mine land. hundreds of roads that run all over the place and criss cross each other and run near main roads. Gaining access is often as easy as driving off the macadam between a couple trees and your on a trail.

[vetteboy]

Most of it is county land, or land that the county is in the process of acquiring. As far as I know it won't be operated on anything privately owned. The exact boundaries of the 'park' aren't determined yet...the plans I saw have a rough border marking the "area of interest" but a lot of it is going to come down to who wants to sell what, or what they need to follow for the reclamation process.

The state/county is building the facilities and managing the land reclamation projects, and the reclamation for the most part is going to be done according to the future site plans once the master planning is finished. Basically they're going to be able to use the reclamation process to rework the land in a way best suited for the visitor center etc.

The bulk of the area in question is just south of Shamokin, on the eastern side of Rt. 125, continuing as far east as Rt. 54, and possibly some land to the west of 125 as well. If they do end up spanning both sides of 125 they like the idea of having an underpass/culvert connecting the two sides to elimiinate ATVs crossing the road. I got to tour a lot of it and check out some of the proposed campsites, and got a rough idea of how the visitor center etc. is going to be laid out. The state has already committed a ton of resources to this project and it's been fast-tracked through several grant applications...in short, there are quite a few people in the county & state governments that want to see this happen. Bit of a change, huh?

[Captain Ruggy]

If it's run well it would be a good thing.

I know pretty much all of the area on both sides of 125. Been wheeling that land since I was a kid.

I would still like to know how they plan on enforcing the boundaries.

[chedisme]

I would still like to know how they plan on enforcing the boundaries.



easy they will just stop every one who looks Mexican.


and for the record that was an Arizona joke not a Mexican one.

[Rock2pus]

As I recall, Paragon's property was even larger than this, and although many folks were probably able to sneak in, I would bet as the area got better established (with real offroaders who police themselves), the problem of garbage and trespass would subside.
To the heart of it : I'm all for the idea, and plan to try to support it any way that I can.
Rich

[MB4/94]

Let me put out a couple of facts.

The project will be a county owned and operated facility.
At this time , Reading Anthracite has nothing to do with this project.
The 6000+ acres is larger than Paragon and is currently owned by Northumberland county.
We have the ability to secure the facility with a state of the art electronic system.

Up to date information is available on our Facebook page and our web site.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Northumberland-County-OHV-Park/141351402542490?ref=ts

http://www.ohv.norrycopa.net/index.htm

[Captain Ruggy]

How exactly does this electronic security work? I see this as the biggest problem.

[MB4/94]

It's pretty complicated to try and explain. So I'll keep it simple. It starts with a system similar to the EZ Pass sysem. Then with the addition of Wi-Fi and some other components the entire park is covered with an umbrella of technology that tells us what is going on.

[kastein]

That's pretty neat - so basically the entire property line will be watched?

If it's WiFi based I could defeat it easily (jamming is trivial to anyone who is good with RF electronics) but then again I'm a hacker not an illegal wheeler.

[Rob Mayercik]

The 6000+ acres is larger than Paragon and is currently owned by Northumberland county.


I always remember Paragon being referred to as 15,000 acres. Perhaps that was an "unofficial" number that included more than was part of the formal lease?

Either way, keep at it - more legal places to go in this part of the country is a Good Thing(TM).

[Andy in Pa.]

I always remember Paragon being referred to as 15,000 acres. Perhaps that was an "unofficial" number that included more than was part of the formal lease?

Either way, keep at it - more legal places to go in this part of the country is a Good Thing(TM).

X1000!!!

As Rob said, keep plugging away at it. Get your meetings/approvals/border patrolling figured out, and keep us poosted on how we can help. We are a very large group, but we'll help out any way we can. I am sure you'll get assistance from us to cut/mark trails when the time comes.:thumbup::thumbup:

Rob... your mostly right. PAP had about 5-6000 acres with formal (mapped) trails, with another approx. 8-10,000 acres available for expansion.... but we all know how that worked out...:tears:

[Rob Mayercik]

Rob... your mostly right. PAP had about 5-6000 acres with formal (mapped) trails, with another approx. 8-10,000 acres available for expansion.... but we all know how that worked out...:tears:

Thanks for the correction - I think I mixed up the 5000 and 15000 before.

I continue to hold the position that given all that we've learned about how honest the parties involved in the "Great Paragon Land Snatch" were, I think proper justice would be for the courts to give Kyle and Stephanie ownership of the land they leased, or at least the option to buy it dirt cheap (seems to me that the landowners that screwed them ought to feel the shaft too).

[xjphil18]

I mean it sounds like a great idea.. More wheelin in this region and bring a lot of revenue though this area as well, hope it works

[capengoggles]

You can show your support for this project by signing the "I Support..." petition.

I Support the proposed Northumberland County OHV Park (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/northumberlandohvpark/)

Thanks in advance.


PS: The donation page after signing the petition is optional and NOT for the park. It is automatically generated from the online petition site.

[Rob Mayercik]

Signed.

[js_customs]

Signed.

X2...

[kastein]

Make that 3!

[chedisme]

signed.

[MrShaft696]

aye signed

[MoparManiac]

Done

[Victor S.]

Done...

[ARB-XJ]

Signed

[stpatty77]

signed

[fasteddieyj]

signed

[xcalibur223]

signed

[xjlongo]

Signed.

[MB4/94]

Hi Everyone ,

The next public meeting is :

TUESDAY OCT. 19, 2010 at the SHAMOKIN AREA HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM AT 6:30pm


We are asking that everyone that can possibly attend to please be there . This is probably the single most important meeting for this park to become a reality. This is the time for you to show your support !

I want to thank all of you for your continued interest and support and we look forward to seeing you at this very inportant meeting.

Barry

[MG2000XJ]

I cant make the trip from MD but I did sign the petition. I hope this works out!

[kastein]

Crap! I will be in Colorado.

[XJWiki]

Signed

[MB4/94]

Hi Everyone ,

The next public meeting is :

TUESDAY OCT. 19, 2010 at the SHAMOKIN AREA HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM AT 6:30pm


We are asking that everyone that can possibly attend to please be there . This is probably the single most important meeting for this park to become a reality. This is the time for you to show your support !

I want to thank all of you for your continued interest and support and we look forward to seeing you at this very inportant meeting.

Barry

[Irongrave]

I need to get the next date for the public meeting for this but I just had the opportunity to wheel/get a tour of this property and HOLY_______ is this going to be a fun place to wheel. even though we spend the day on access roads there is some nice trails already in place there along with a huge amount of potential for new trails. Some of the rock gardens are flat out nasty and for those that like mud there is a good amount of that 2. Once i get the next public meeting date I'll post it up. If your local go and support this. I'll have pics tonight.

[4WDlifeform]

Irongrave, This is really great news! Glad to read about the progress and the sneak-peak at the land! Looking forward to the pics.