Orv Park Progress Report Coming In September Motorcycle Groups Working Together To Form Plan

The Liberty Lake Offroad Vehicle Park will stay in limbo for another month.

Spokane County commissioners had wanted a progress report Aug. 1 on rehabilitation of the 350-acre park. Instead, they’ll get that update in September.

Members of the Brush Bunch Motorcycle Club say they’ll have their plan developed by then, with help from the American Motorcycle Association.

Ideas from the national group include starting an adopt-a-park program, so that different groups would have responsibility for patrolling the park on different weekends. With proper management, the Liberty Lake property could be made into a “first-class little ORV park,” said Dana Bell, a representative of the American Motorcycle Association.

Local riders “will have a very good report for the county commissioners. They’ve already done one work project and will do another one probably before the meeting,” Bell said.

“There’s a lot of volunteer effort that has gone on up there,” said Dave Bell, Brush Bunch member and owner of Kawasaki Motor Sports.

A combination of county equipment and volunteer labor has worked to combat erosion, with sediment ponds and grass seed that will be spread shortly, said Darrel Triber, supervisor of the county’s ORV park at Airway Heights.

“The erosion and ruts have been pretty well mastered,” Triber said. Boulders are blocking off several of the roads, and Triber said he’ll string a cable across one other entrance. He’s dug a hole for a new concrete porta-potty, now on order.

“We’re pretty well on the upswing, with the help of the Brush Bunch,” Triber said.

Yet the problems of erosion, damage to fences and near-accidents persist, according to neighboring landowner Darrell Hilgers. In July, Hilgers wrote to Commissioner Phil Harris: “The illegal use of Idaho Road by ORV’s coming from the park has continued to cause near-accidents. I have had two so far this summer. My neighbors have had some also.”

Hilgers also cited fire danger, from the dried out undergrowth, and pointed out that closing the park to all vehicles would alleviate that danger.

This spring, the county commissioners gave motorcyclists until Aug. 1 to make substantial progress toward implementing their plan. March 1, 1998, is the final deadline for having solutions under way. Commissioners could close the park to all motorized use at either point.

Bell emphasized three facets she believes are needed to help the park operate well:

An adopt-a-park program or some sort of enforcement presence, perhaps through a state grant;

Signs to help mark the boundaries, with constant monitoring to counter vandalism of those signs;

Education of young ORV riders and future riders through the local schools.

, DataTimes