Verona ATV Pilot Extended. Two quit County committee over decision.

Jeff Green | Mar 24, 2021

The split between people who support “nature trails” that prohibit the use of ATVs and snowmobiles, and those who support “multi-use” trails that permit them, has long been a feature of debates about the purchase and construction of the K&P trail in Frontenac County.

Developing the K&P Trail as a recreational trail for Frontenac County and Kingston residents, while at the same time creating a loop on the Trans Canada Trail (now rebranded as The Great Trail) and creating tourist opportunities, for cyclist and ATV enthusiasts alike, has been a major Economic Development initiative for Frontenac County since 2007.

To accommodate the different ideas about nature trails vs. motorised trails, the K&P was built with an internal border. The K&P crosses over Road 38 just north of Verona, between Vanluven and Howes Lakes, very close to Craig Road. South of Craig Road, the K&P is a nature trail, and north of Craig Road it is a multi-use trail.

That arrangement has led to more or less peaceful co-existence among trail users. However, a few years ago, Frontenac County purchased a former gas station from South Frontenac Township, just to the north of the Hardwood Creek bridge at the foot of Verona. Road 38 is on one side of the lot, and the K&P Trail is on the other side. It is an ideal location for people to park their cars, and hop on the trail, for walking, cycling, or ATV’ing. When the Verona District ATV Club was established, the idea of extending the multi-use trail south from Craig Road to the Hardwood Creek Trailhead was put forward.

Last summer, Frontenac County, with support from South Frontenac Council, permitted the extension of the multi-use portion of the trail to the Trailhead in Verona, on a trial basis. In the fall, the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) of Frontenac County, which includes members of Frontenac County Council as well as public appointees from all four corners of the county, formed a sub-committee to look at the multi-use trail extension, Their task was to consider whether Frontenac County Council should make the change permanent, whether the county should prohibit ATVs on the trail south of Craig Road once and for all, or allow for one more summer and make a

final decision later on.

The CDAC sub - committee is made up of Alan Revill, who sits on both South Frontenac and Frontenac County Council, as well as community members Mary Kloosterman, Barrie Gilbert and Greg Rodgers from CDAC.

The Frontenac County economic development department had already undertaken a survey in the early fall about the matter, and CDAC heard from a number of businesses, community groups and individuals in Verona about what had taken place last summer. While concerns were raised, opposition to the motorised extension of the trail through Verona was muted.

In an oral report, the working group opposed the extension of the motorised trail through Verona, saying ATV traffic through the residential and commercial town was contrary to the public interest. CDAC recommended that Frontenac County end the experiment and restrict motorised use to north of Craig Road permanently.

Before the matter came to Frontenac County Council last Wednesday, however, it was also considered by South Frontenac Council, on March 16 (see South Frontenac Council report in this edition).

The South Frontenac planning department presented a report to Council, which also recommended keeping motorised use of the trail to north of Craig Road. The planning department is working on a seniors’ residence complex in Verona, which abuts the trail, and does not see a motorised trail as a compatible use.

At the South Frontenac meeting, Alan Revill proposed that instead of making a final decision, Council should propose another pilot year, to allow for more study of the matter, as plans for the housing development are firmed up.

Council agreed. They made a recommendation to Frontenac County, which was meeting the following morning (March 17), to allow the use for the summer of 2021.

At Frontenac County Council the next morning, Marc Moeys from the Verona District ATV Club talked about the safety measures that had been in place, their safety concerns about ATVs using Road 38 in Verona, and the partnership that the ATV Association and the Frontenac County Economic Development department had forged.

The staff report to Council on the matter was prepared by Richard Allen of the Economic Development department. Allen cited the study which had been done in the fall, and the potential the use will bring to the tourist economy in the township. He recommended that Frontenac County Council ermit the usage permanently, bucking the proposal of CDAC.

“Safety for all users of the K&P Trail is a priority for the county, and with effective trail management practices, staff suggest that the actual risk posed by ATVs on the trail, through the Verona Corridor, is quite low. The requirement to have ATVs use Road 38 may actually create additional safety concerns, as ATVs would have to travel at higher speeds in order to travel with normal vehicular traffic, and the narrow roadway could introduce hazards for vehicles travelling at different speeds or vehicles who wish to overtake an ATV in the roadway,” Allen wrote in his report.

Faced with a staff recommendation in one direction, an opposing view from both CDAC and the South Frontenac Planning department, and a proposal by Alan Revill and South Frontenac Council to permit the use for one more summer before making a final decision, Frontenac County Council chose to extend the pilot project for one more summer.

Subsequently, both Mary Klooserman and Barrie Gilbert have resigned from the CDAC committee.

In his letter of resignation, Gilbert said “When the issue was brought before the full Council (17 March), it was presented in a format opposite to what CDAC had approved for Council. It appears that the county staff has pulled a dirty trick. One of our sub-committee resigned immediately. My written submission of potential environmental impacts was placed in an appendix and was ignored. So much, for volunteers with expertise.

Mary Kloosterman was less brutal in her assessment, saying “I am looking for volunteer opportunities where I can make an impact. After two years, I realised that it wasn’t a good fit for me and I’ve decided to move on. As is true in many things in life, there is usually one event that crystallises what you’ve been thinking, but I wasn’t upset with the decision that was made by Council.”