New Castle News

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June 8, 2006

Residents oppose ATV park

By Pat Litowitz

The Hillsville quarry is the lawless playground of big boys and their big toys: ATVs, motorcycles and pick-up trucks.

Mahoning Township resident Michael Mangino complains they drive with abandon, trespass on private property, and are loud, disruptive and dangerous.

“It’s pretty bad,” Mangino said. “They have no respect for anything. They know they can get away (from police).”

With those factors a constant, Mangino and his neighbors have organized opposition to a proposed 1,000-acre all-terrain vehicle park. Hillsville Off-Road Adventure Park, spearheaded by local developers Ken and Carmen Shick, would be located in a former strip mine.

The company needs to secure a zoning variance from the township to begin the project. The request was expected to be heard at last night’s township zoning hearing board meeting, but was withdrawn.

“It had become apparent that many misconceptions have manifested themselves related to our plan,” Carmen Shick said. “We felt it would be wiser to pause and use this time to educate the residents as to the merits of our proposal.”

He agrees with Mangino that the quarry is a never-ending source of problems.

“It’s like the wild West up there,” he said. “We tried to tolerate it. We posted ‘no trespassing’ signs. Their life span is five minutes.”

Shick said his family owns approximately three-quarters of the quarry. He estimates the overall quarry covers 5,000 acres. Shick said the site was last mined in the 1940s.

“Basically, what we’re trying to do is clean the area up,” Ken Shick said. “These parks have historically been an economic boon. They bring a lot of people into the area.”

James B. Morris Jr., Northwest Lawrence Regional Police chief, said the quarry also attracts drugs users, car thieves and underage drinkers, who treasure the refuge the area offers.

“The problem is, that it is readily accessible,” Morris said. “There’s literally hundreds of ways onto the property.”

Since the department came into operation in November 2004, Morris said, more than 300 citations have been given to trespassers riding ATVs and motorcycles on private property. That number does not reflect warnings that also have been issued.

“You would not believe the amount of garbage and trash they leave,” he added. “It’s incredible.”

Mangino said the Shicks have had years to reclaim the property.

“The bottom line is, we don’t see (them) showing a lot of responsibility to the community,” he said. “This would be a slap in the face.”

Mangino wants the township to take a role in correcting the problem.

“(The quarry) is an open wound,” he said. “We feel that this township will never grow unless it’s reclaimed.”

Carmen Shick said that creating an ATV park would help control problems in the area.

“If we put in a business (in the quarry) and operate it as a business, we will be able to regulate it to the point where it should be more tolerable than it is now,” he said.

Ultimately, his plan is to put unproductive land back to work.

“There’s great camping areas; there’s great swimming areas,” he said. “You have all the elements of a great family venue if you get rid of the riffraff.”

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