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Times Leader P.M. Update: Sunday, Jan. 24

Opinions are needed on a potential all-terrain vehicle park on 10,000 acres in Newport and Conyngham townships to help shape the plan.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking for a lot of public participation so we can understand the wants and needs,&rdquo; said Terry Ostrowski, president/CEO of the nonprofit Earth Conservancy spearheading the feasibility study. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking for this to be a destination point.&rdquo;
				Potential commenters should include area residents, business owners, neighbors and riders of ATVs and other off-highway vehicles who have both ideas and concerns, Ostrowski said.
				While the main draw would be paths for ATVs, other trails for hiking, biking and possibly horseback riding are under consideration by the steering committee, he said. An area for paintball also could be carved out, he said.
				&ldquo;Pennsylvania is starting to have a large push with recreation and the recreation industry, and we want something that will really be a destination for outdoor recreation,&rdquo; Ostrowski said.
				A complex that large could attract visitors from hundreds of miles away and provide an &ldquo;influx for the local economy&rdquo; benefitting area campgrounds, hotels, restaurants and other businesses, he said.
				Public comment
				A project overview and updates are posted at <a href="https://www.earthconservancy.org/recreation/newport-twp-ohv-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.earthconservancy.org/recreation/newport-twp-ohv-study/</a>, which also will have links for public comment.
				Several options will be available to provide input, said Elizabeth W. Hughes, Earth Conservancy&rsquo;s communications director:
				&#8226; Survey
				A survey will be available through the site until the end of May to be completed online or by downloading a hard copy. All responses will be kept confidential, although there is an option to request future project updates by email.
				&#8226; Virtual meeting
				The public is invited to a virtual meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 11, when the study team will discuss the project and its progress and accept questions and comments. Information on accessing the meeting will be posted on the site. Residents requiring special accommodations are asked to contact the project team at admin@earthconservancy.org at least seven days before the meeting.
				&#8226; Email/mail
				Questions or comments about the project can be submitted directly to Earth Conservancy at 101 S. Main St., Ashley, PA 18706 or by emailing Hughes at e.hughes@earthconservancy.org.
				Manheim, Pennsylvania-based Laird Landscape Architecture has been hired as a consultant for the study, which will be funded through a $62,000 state grant.
				Project site
				A past study had identified 2,500 acres of largely mine-scarred Earth Conservancy land in Newport Township that was most suitable for an ATV park, but this analysis also found additional land would be needed to meet the demand of many riders, Ostrowski has said.
				After discussions, the private and public owners of several adjacent tracts agreed to participate in the new feasibility study, with the understanding they were not under any commitment to agree to the final plan, he said. The other sites include more than 4,400 acres of Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources land and 2,600 acres owned by Newport Aggregate.
				Much of the acreage is former coal land with large pits, although some has been reclaimed or is forested, he has said.
				The feasibility study also would examine options for funding the park and identifying an entity to own and operate it.
				Earth Conservancy would not be the owner/manager, he said. Some other parks are run by private organizations or governmental entities.
				The feasibility study steering committee includes representatives of the land owners and local leaders and ATV riders.
				Pennsylvania has around 285,000 registered ATVs, and efforts are underway to provide more places for them to legally ride statewide.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;re hoping that this project gives ATV riders a legal and safe option so they&rsquo;re not riding all weekend looking over their shoulder for police to chase them off land,&rdquo; Ostrowski said.
				Some of the acreage under consideration for the ATV complex also is being eyed for new industrial development, including the 400-acre Whitney Point Industrial Park.
				State Sen. John Yudichak recently said a new Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge over the Susquehanna River will be necessary to open up access to thousands of acres for commercial development.
				Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, said the ATV feasibility study and work on the commercial development plans will determine if the two can co-exist. If not, Yudichak said he has no doubt other options will be pursued to bring an ATV park to the region.
				&ldquo;The takeaway I have is that I cannot recall another time in my public life where there have been so many economic opportunities and recreational opportunities to really transform the region and make it a tourist destination and destination for people looking for a better life and job,&rdquo; Yudichak said. 
				Earth Conservancy was created to find the best use for nearly 16,500 acres purchased from the bankrupt Blue Coal Corp. in 1994. To date, it has reclaimed 2,000 mine-scarred acres for productive reuse, conserved 8,700 acres for recreation and greenspace and created two treatment systems to mitigate acid mine drainage in local watersheds, it said.

Public input sought on potential ATV park on 10,000 acres in Newport Township area