Loxahatchee resident: Don't allow a noisy all-terrain vehicle park in our backyard
The ATV Park proposal added by County Commissioner Sara Baxter as part of the GL Homes land swap deal will have a very negative impact on residents in Santa Rosa Groves and adjoining communities. We urge commissioner Baxter to consider a course correction.
Seventeen letters from residents were sent to all county commissioners, pleading to place this park away from our neighborhood. All other all-terrain vehicle parks across the U.S.A. are miles away. My neighbors and I have endured flooding and bad roads here in exchange for peace and quiet. That is why we moved here. Sarah Baxter’s Park Plan will cause continuous noise and attract more riders to Santa Rosa Groves, which is already a big problem. This park plan will exclude motorcycles but those riders will return to our neighborhoods on future dates, now that they have found us on the map. The neighborhood has 100 lots, typically of from 5-12 acres, and is attractive to horse owners and farmers. But this park will make it less attractive.
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Secondly, the off-highway vehicle rider community wants this park returned to 20-mile bend because the new plan does not permit motorcycles and certain other off-highway vehicles. After conducting a feasibility study, Palm Beach County spent years getting to prepare for an OHV park to be constructed at 20-mile bend to specifically include all OHV's. Tragically, the person in charge of coordinating the construction and operation of a private facility at this location passed away in an accident. It's taken some time but this same team has reassembled and is ready to move forward with the project. The 20-mile bend location can promote a moto-cross league, where participants would tour and compete, making this a very attractive site.
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Insurance costs for privately owned ATV parks are very high. The racetrack at 20-mile bend will cost tens of millions more than expected, due to muck that needs removal to ensure a flat raceway with an enormous concrete slab. But an OHV park would not require as many costs. In addition, GL Homes has no experience designing and building a safe ATV park.
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Building an ATV park is not like building a library. Such a project should be supported by the whole community. But this proposal was not made known to residents until after Commissioner Baxter told the OHV community in a public meeting that it was already under construction. We strongly urge Commissioner Baxter to include and listen to the concerns of Santa Rosa Groves residents, other local leaders and the 20-mile bend OHV riders’ group, as they are the most affected stakeholders.
We kindly request that all commissioners consider adjusting their plans by changing the ATV park location within the GL land swap deal.
Palm Beach County possesses alternate locations that are better suited for the intended purposes. We urge Commissioner Baxter to understand that adjusting course will be viewed by her constituents as a quality of good reasoning. The raceway is not a sure thing but the OHV at 20-mile bend has all the studies. The Palm Beach International Raceway was not profitable even though it was a much nicer raceway than can be built at 20-mile bend. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Raceway advocates will be disappointed, but there will be future opportunities. The OHV advocates will be delighted and the residents of Santa Rosa Groves will be grateful.
William Derks is a resident of Loxahatchee.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County residents say no to ATV park near Santa Rosa Groves
