County board kills ATV campground proposal

A plan to develop an ATV campground and trailhead off the Nicolet State Trail in the town of Riverview was short-circuited Nov. 21 when residents of the area raised objections.

The Oconto County Board of Supervisors was poised to approve a $280,000 bid to build a parking lot at the site on Torsci Lane as the first phase in development, but the proposal was defeated after a lengthy discussion.

The land was originally slated as a landfill site, but in 2017 the county Planning, Zoning and Solid Waste Department looked to sell the 40-acre parcel. The Forestry, Parks and Recreation Committee opposed the sale, offered to manage the land and was given the property in 2021.

The county board approved $67,000 in its 2023 budget for a campground development feasibility study, and the Short Eliot Hendrickson consulting firm won the contract to study the Torsci Lane site.

The forestry and parks department was directed to apply for grants to develop the project in October 2023, and the Land and Water Resource Department received a final design and cost estimate in March of this year.

No grants were forthcoming for the full project, so the county began to pursue a phased approach beginning with the parking lot plan that reached the county board Nov. 21.

Opposition to the proposal surfaced after the bids were received Nov. 4. Four letters were read on the board floor, and several speakers appeared as well, most of them in opposition.

One of the letters was from Christopher Schultz, former administrator and current commissioner for the Mountain Ambulance Service.

“Oconto County has no provisions for police, fire or EMS in this park,” Schultz wrote. “An ATV park will drastically increase call volumes for all three agencies, which are already strained from for emergencies in the area and have limited budget, staff and equipment.”

Ann Maletzke, co-owner of the Spur of the Moment Ranch getaway resort, said the Torsci Lane site is a mile off the main road, state Highway 32, and she raised safety concerns over the remote location.

“I understand that the first phase of the project is just the parking lot, but the way government works the project will just keep snowballing down the road,” Maletzke said. “I am strongly opposed to the government competing with any of the businesses in the north woods or anywhere else. That is not your job. Perhaps a better use of time and money would be to update and repair the Chute Pond Campground that already exists.”

She said local ambulance service is already strapped during the busy ATV season.

“I would like to point out that we are at least 45 minutes from the nearest hospital in the area, not to mention finding people on the trails can be very challenging from time to time,” Maletzke said.

Deb Uhlenbrauck, president of the Chute Pond Snowmobile Club, spoke in favor of the proposed campground.

“We felt the increased economic impact to the area will enhance not only area businesses, gas stations, restaurants, tourism shops, food supply stores and community organizations, but also family-oriented camping,” Uhlenbrauck said.

County board comments reflected the mixed opinions of the final 16-13 vote.

“I think this is the wrong time to shut this down,” Supervisor Tim Cole said.

“People are giving the impression that there’s a ‘Mad Max’ situation going on with the ATVs,” said Supervisor Don Bartels, “that they’re running rampant down the highways, rolling in balls of flame.”

Bartels said he examined the sheriff’s reports for May through July, the peak ATV season, and found a total of 100 ATV complaints, nine ATV citations and 10 ATV accidents.

“By contrast there were more than 500 traffic stops,” Bartels said. “Maybe the problem is there are too many cars and not enough ATVs.”

Supervisor Mike Beyer cited residents’ concerns about ATV use.

“I believe we need to take care of the facilities we have and invest in those,” Beyer said.

The input from the people who would be directly affected by the project should be considered, said Supervisor Jolene Barkhaus.

“If we have people who live there, we have town boards saying that local people don’t feel their citizens can handle the uptick of tourism it would bring, we have to think of the safety of our residents,” Barkhaus said.

County Administrator Richard Heath expressed confusion about the apparently sudden opposition to a project that has been on the county’s timeline for years.

“There seems to be this idea that this is a pretty flippant project that just happened overnight. It is not that,” Heath said.

The parking lot was funded through the county’s American Rescue Plan Act allotment, which must be spent by the end of the year or the money will no longer be available, he said.

“This project has gone through the paces,” Heath told the board. “You and your predecessors have had a chance to look at this. If there were issues, I don’t know where you’ve been. All of a sudden there’s issues in the last three weeks.”

wbluhm@newmedia-wi.com