Discussion continues on a possible ordinance change that would allow all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on Rainelle streets.
During the Feb. 22 meeting of the Rainelle Town Council, Acting Mayor Bill Bell stated that several citizens have come forward with concerns about allowing ATVs on streets.
One of those concerns is the legality of allowing those vehicles to travel through Rainelle and the other concern is the hours of the day that riders would be able to use their ATVs.
“We aren’t putting anything in place that isn’t already there,” Bell said, referring to the recent passage of West Virginia Senate Bill 690. “But I will step out on a limb and agree that there needs to be a time frame so you don’t open Pandora’s box and have four-wheelers running up and down the streets in the middle of the night.”
This time frame would put into writing the hours that street-legal ATVs would be allowed on the streets. Town attorney Michael Anderson will be reviewing the ordinance before the town reviews it and votes, according to Bell.
During the discussion, Councilmember Martha Livesay said that there should be a time and a place for four-wheelers.
“I just think that we need to have really good policies in place and I see potential accidents,” Livesay said.
Bell responded that any ATV traveling on town streets will need to be street-legal with turn signals and lights. Each ATV must also be inspected, licensed and insured before they are allowed on the road.
“They are sort of like an automobile,” Bell said.
Local police forces would be patrolling the town to make sure each ATV meets the street-legal requirements and follows local laws.
“We need to make sure we come up with a police force to make sure everybody abides by the law,” Livesay stated.
Bell noted that the council has time to discuss the ordinance and ensure it will have a positive effect on the town before any vote is taken
“It will be a great revenue source to our town, but we don’t want a downside to it either,” Bell responded.
Councilmember Danny Milam said that it would be wise to adopt a time frame that would prevent ATVs from being driven on the streets after 10 p.m.
In other Rainelle news, Bell stated that many streets in Rainelle are in desperate need of repaving to fix potholes. Because of this, he asked the council if they could allocate funds from the town’s creek bank clean-up fund to the street maintenance fund.
Every year, the town of Rainelle pays $6,125 for the creek clean-up effort, according to Bell. While this is an important function, he said that the citizens of Rainelle would appreciate the streets being fixed. All councilmembers agreed.
Council decided to discuss this issue in-depth at a later meeting.
Also, Bell stated that the town has not yet found a person to take the reins for police chief in Rainelle. Applications are still being accepted at town hall.
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