By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly gave final approval Tuesday night to an ordinance allowing all-terrain vehicles to be operated on Sitka streets and roads.
The ordinance comes with a number of requirements for riders and vehicles, including helmets, registration, safety inspection, lights and turn signals.
It went into effect today, but a number of details, such as the inspection process, are yet to be worked out.
The vote was 5-1 on passage, with Thor Christianson, Kevin Mosher, Crystal Duncan, Rebecca Himschoot and Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz in favor. Kevin Knox voted against and Dave Miller was absent.
Those in favor highlighted the public process in drafting the ordinance. It included work between the APV (all-purpose vehicle) community and some Assembly members, and a recommendation by the Police and Fire Commission in favor.
“I hope it works out well, and I’m going to support it,” said Christianson, who worked with ATV users on the ordinance. ATV and APV are used interchangeably in discussion of the vehicles, commonly called four-wheelers, that are designed for off-road use.
Rebecca Himschoot said she hopes “people will build a culture around how APVs are used in Sitka.”
A member of the public who has lived in a rural community where people ride four-wheelers in town, said he knows how the noise disturbs people in their houses. He didn’t speak against the ordinance, but urged that noise suppressing mufflers be required.
The Assembly took no action on the noise issue, but Himschoot said the Assembly can address that later, as well as possible changes in permitted hours of operation.
Most of the public comments were in favor of opening the streets to ATVs. Only a few members of the public turned out Tuesday.
Sitka High School student Logan Kluting said he looks forward to having a more affordable mode of transportation than a car, although the required safety upgrades would come with a price.
“Being able to get them on the road and use as transportation is incredible,” he said.
Valorie Nelson, a former Assembly member, said she supports the ordinance, saying ATVs would cause less wear and tear on the roads and burn less gas than regular vehicles.
Knox cast the lone vote against, saying he wasn’t concerned about local riders, wanted to head off problems with riders not familiar with the machines.
“(I’m concerned) about commercial operations running around town with operators without the same level of knowledge and respect,” he said.
Knox said he would like to put some additional rules in place before a business makes a substantial investment, when the Assembly might later decide to restrict such businesses.
“It’s not very easy to put the genie back in the bottle,” he added today.
The ordinance is the offshoot of a new state law that permits ATVs on all roads with a speed limit of 45 mph or less, unless the local government opts out of the more permissive ATV regulation. At first the Sitka police and fire chiefs and the Police and Fire Commission recommended that Sitka opt out. The Assembly agreed, but also decided to craft an ordinance tailored for Sitka with its own rules and regulations.
Among the requirements in the Sitka ordinance are that the ATVs for street use have turn signals, a headlight in front and a red light, brake light and reflector at the rear. Also required are a muffler, a throttle or idle spring, fenders, brakes, rearview mirror, horn and speedometer.
Prohibited times of operations are midnight to 5 a.m.
The owner must obtain an APV permit, and drivers must have a driver’s license as well as insurance. The police department will inspect the vehicle for compliance with safety equipment, and issue a permit.
The Police and Fire Commission is to review how the ordinance is working after it’s been in effect a year.
Lobby Trips
The Assembly agreed to send the city administrator and mayor on a lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., and to the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Miami, Florida.
The Assembly in the past has authorized trips for both purposes, but the two were combined in the motion approved Tuesday night.
Speaking of the cruise convention, Leach said, “In this case I don’t think there’s a lot of marketing necessary – I think we’re the prime market right now, but given that it’s coming up we have some great opportunities to meet with folks from (the cruise industry).”
Eisenbeisz said he is interested in re-establishing connections, hear what’s working for cruise lines, and see how the visitor experience can be improved in the future.
After the Florida trip Eisenbeisz and Leach will go to Washington, where both the House and Senate are in session and the two can talk to the Alaska delegation and others.
The trip is funded by the administration travel and training budget and the Visitor Enhancement Fund.
In other business Tuesday the Assembly:
- reappointed Steve Clayton to the Building Appeals board.
- appointed Noah Goodwin-Bain to the Tree and Landscape Committee, and Gail Roderick to the Police and Fire Commission.
- met in executive session for about 45 minutes to discuss the purchase and sale agreement with SEARHC for Sitka Community Hospital building and properties. After the city found that the SEARHC offer of $8.2 million met all of the city’s terms in its request for proposals, an advisory vote in October showed the public approved the sale by a wide margin.
- discussed possible changes to remote attendance of Assembly meetings and testifying remotely (story in Thursday’s Sentinel).
- made a decision on placing the Elizabeth Peratrovich bench (see separate story).
