Chartiers officials warning off-road vehicle riders to stay off township, private property
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
ATV tracks are seen on the hill behind the Chartiers Township Community Center at Arnold Park.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
ATV tracks are visible on the hill behind the Chartiers Township Community Center at Arnold Park.
If you have an all-terrain vehicle of any sort, think twice about taking it for a spin at Chartiers Township’s 40-acre Arnold Park or on private property in the township, unless you have the permission of the owner.
Township officials are again reminding residents of the rules for off-road vehicles after getting complaints as recently as Thursday about riders.
The township often fields complaints from residents living around the park, as well as in other areas of the community, about the riders and the noise of the vehicles, said Jodi Noble, township manager.
Tracks can be seen on a hillside in the park adjacent to the area where the township plans to build ballfields and a multipurpose field in the near future.
“Annually, it is an issue, but it is more noticeable in the spring,” Noble said Friday. “We are trying to be proactive and educate. Our goal is to deter the riders, not cite.
“We get complaints from property owners trying to enjoy their own property,” she added.
Noble said complaints have come from homeowners in the area of Silver Maple Drive and Walnut Street, which are near the park, as well as other areas of the township.
The township has an ordinance regulating the operation of off-road vehicles that prohibits the vehicles going onto private property without the approval of the owners, and on township property unless the area is specifically posted to allow it.
The ordinance also bans the operation of the vehicles within 300 feet of any property line where permission has not been given, or within 500 feet of an occupied building or home unless the rider or owner of the ATV owns that property.
The vehicles also can be operated only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. All such vehicles must be registered with the township.
Police Chief James Horvath said as long as he has been here, it has been a problem.
“As the township grows, the space is getting more and more limited,” Horvath said. “And the problem is not just here. Police chiefs in other areas of the county are also getting complaints.”
Horvath said riders might want to consider purchasing trailers to haul their vehicles to locations where riding is permitted.
If a rider is caught, they not only could be charged with violating the township ordinance, but trespassing if they ride on property that has been posted by the owners.
The township has ordered new signs that will be placed around the park warning riders to stay off the property.
The chief said township officials will speak to District Judge David Mark about helping with the enforcement of the ordinance when a rider is cited.