A group of residents in the town of Gorham is suing to shut down a popular ATV trailhead.
Neighbors of the trail say they are fed up with the dust, noise and fumes from the four-wheelers. In their court filing, they cite an escalating number of police complaints lodged in Gorham in recent years involving ATV and OHRV riders.
[You can read NHPR's previous coverage of this issue here.]
“The noise, the dust, the atrocious conduct of these riders--many of these riders--it just made life miserable for them,” says attorney Art Cunningham, who is representing the plaintiffs.
He says neighbors of the trail have witnessed public urination as well as “obnoxious and threatening personal behavior” from trail users.
The suit, filed in Coos County Superior Court, is calling on the town, as well as the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, to shut down the trailhead.
“It is not about the money. It is just about giving these people their homes back,” says Cunningham.
Gorham, as well as neighboring Berlin, have become popular ATV destinations, hosting major festivals and drawing in thousands of tourists each summer.
Town officials say they haven’t yet received the petition, and can’t comment.
