Lewis County adopts local laws, adds miles to OHV trail system to connect Martinsburg and Glenfield

Lewis County lawmakers voted to expand the county's off‑highway vehicle (OHV) network and adopt four local laws permitting ATV and OHV operation on short stretches of county road in the Town of Martinsburg.

The General Services Committee approved State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) findings of no significant environmental impact and authorized adding roughly 3.2 miles of county and private property to the Lewis County OHV trail system, plus an additional 678 feet on parcels identified in the proposal. The committee also adopted Local Laws 1–4 of 2025 to permit OHV operation on specified portions of County Roads 30, 32, 80 and 53 (Cemetery Road/Mill Street, Glendale Road, Glenfield Road and Main/Blue Streets) to connect existing trails and trailheads.

Why it matters: The package creates legal authority for short stretches of travel on county roads to link otherwise disconnected off‑road trail segments in northern Lewis County, enabling recreation access and business connections but requiring landowner agreements, DOT crossings and follow‑up environmental reviews.

County parks director Jackie Mahoney, who led the presentation, described the outreach and permitting work done to date. “We created a 200‑foot buffer on each of those roads, had Real Property send me labels for every landowner within 200 feet of any of those roads. A mailing went out. It was dated 06/13/2023,” Mahoney said, summarizing landowner outreach and a public meeting that drew 29 attendees. Mahoney added that an online survey recorded 49 participants, of whom four opposed the proposal because they did not want trails on their property.

The committee heard questions about landowner concerns and safety. Mahoney said access agreements are contracts that preserve landowner control and that the county provides trail infrastructure (culverts, stones, barriers) but not payments to landowners. “Opening roads is not easy. New York State limits us to opening roads between trails and areas,” Mahoney said, noting state and DOT coordination for crossings and the requirement for sight‑distance review before trail connections are placed on roads.

Several formal votes followed the presentation. The committee carried SEQRA negative declarations and authorizations adding specific parcels and lengths to the OHV system, then adopted four local laws, each permitting motorized recreation on the described road segments to complete planned connections between the Pioneer Trail, Glenfield School Trail, Whitaker Park and adjacent private trail segments.

Process and next steps: Mahoney emphasized the multi‑step permitting and review process that remains before trails are built: signed landowner agreements, SEQRA reviews of each affected parcel and road, and DOT permits for crossings already obtained. She said the Glenfield Complete Streets construction delayed portions of the work and that the county scaled back some segments when landowners changed ownership or passed away.

The county will proceed with the authorized additions and local laws but must complete individual parcel reviews and finalize access agreements before ground work begins. The county did not provide a construction timetable at the meeting.

Votes and formal outcomes appear on the record as carried by voice vote. The transcript does not list individual vote tallies by name.