TUPPER LAKE - After weeks of tension building between snowmobilers and government and law enforcement officials, members of the Tupper Lake Snowmobile Club met with the village board Tuesday night to try to find solutions.

Board members and club members said they want to be able to work together, since snowmobiling can bring significant economic benefits to the community.

"We want people to look at Tupper Lake as a nice place to come snowmobiling," said Mayor Mickey Desmarais. "We know what, economically, the snowmobiling can do for the community."

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Education

Club head Gary Beaudette said he wants to work with the village, school and possibly Franklin County to hold a snowmobile education session for high school students that would teach them about both safety issues and the rules of riding.

"Start with the kids," Beaudette said. "Maybe it will reflect on mom and dad, too."

He said a lot of riders don't realize it is a privilege, not a right, to be able to operate their sleds in the village, and that they are supposed to only use village streets to get from one trail to the next.

"This is different than a car," Beaudette said.

Beaudette said he sees many riders using unregistered sleds, which he says is a problem. He said snowmobilers should register and insure their sleds and join the snowmobile club, which gives them a discount on registration.

"If you're going to have your snowmobile, be responsible to have it," Beaudette said.

Police Chief Tom Fee said it has been a long time since there was a snowmobile education course in Tupper Lake for young people, and he would like his department to help get one going again.

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Private property

At their last regular meeting, village board members discussed the many complaints they had been getting about snowmobilers riding through private property. Beaudette noted that in the town, several landowners have given snowmobilers permission to ride on their property. He said he hoped he could work with village officials to set up some trails going through private lands in the village.

Some property owners are concerned they would not be insured if snowmobilers hurt themselves on their property, but if they let the club groom trails there, they are covered by a $1 million insurance policy through the New York State Snowmobile Association, Beaudette said.

Trustee Marty Hughes said he doesn't believe the problem is being caused by members of the snowmobile club.

"It's the ones who have no respect for people's property whatsoever," Hughes said.

Club member Rick Reandeau said he believes there are less than 10 people who are causing the problems.

He said snowmobilers are starting to speak up more when they see riders doing things they shouldn't be. He said he saw one local business owner sit down three young riders recently and tell them they needed to ride responsibly or it was going to have an impact on all the local riders.

"There are people in the community that are trying to help with this problem," Reandeau said. "It's too bad that there are a few people that have caused this to grow out of proportion the way they have."

Enforcement

Reandeau, who was involved recently when local snowmobiler Eric Fortier accused a state Park police officer of throwing a flashlight at him, said people have been complaining about law enforcement in the area. He said that the Park police are the only section of law enforcement that he has heard any complaints about or witnessed any problems with.

The Tupper Lake Police Department, state police and state Department of Environmental Conservation Officers have all worked well with snowmobilers, Reandeau said.

He said Fortier's incident is being dealt with and he is confident nothing like that will happen again.

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Contact Jessica Collier at 891-2600 ext. 25 or jcollier@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.