Dirt bikes not allowed in Meeker town limits; riders can be cited

MEEKER | People have been riding dirt bikes in the open space between the Sanderson Hills and Sage Hills subdivisions for decades. But that doesn’t make it legal.
Residents came before the board Tuesday to ask what can be done about underage riders, noise, dust, fire danger and potential liability.
“Any given night there are eight to 10 of them riding. The police come talk to them and they leave, then a few days later they’re back,” said resident Dave Morlan. “We’ve seen some hellacious wrecks and don’t know who’s liable for them.”
According to Morlan, the riders are also accessing the hiking trails maintained by the rec district.
Dirt bikes are not the same as OHVs and are not permitted in town limits unless they are licensed and equipped as street legal (visit tinyurl.com/lsxs33s for street legal requirements). Underaged, unlicensed riders are not allowed to ride dirt bikes or OHVs within town limits.
“The best thing you can do as a citizen is call dispatch,” Town Manager Scott Meszaros said. “They (the police) are going to go and respond while it’s happening.”
Meeker Police Lt. Phil Stubblefield said he would notify the department to be aware of illicit riders on town streets or open land, talk to them and notify their parents if they’re underage.
“There aren’t any public lands within town limits that are open for riding dirt bikes,” Meszaros said.
The board also heard an update from Meeker Chamber Director Stephanie Kobald on the Main Street Program. Since the town was chosen as a Main Street candidate, she said, they’ve had opportunities to speak with other communities working on similar projects, and have had multiple consultants come through town to speak to the group and to the public.
Their current project is the acquisition and installation of wayfinding signage on Market Street.
“It’s something that’s been talked about forever,” Kobald said.
They’ve received a mini-grant from the Department of Local Affairs that will cover one of the six signs they’d like to install, and asked the town to consider applying for an Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado grant with matching funds to help with the cost of the other signs.
In other business the board:
n Approved liquor licenses for the Meeker Lions Club to serve at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner April 1 and the Afterbirth Ball May 6
n Approved leases for Ute Park with Davey Smith and with the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials
n Lt. Stubblefield reiterated the need to lock cars and houses, saying, “There’s a lot of new people in town.” He also suggested the installation of cameras and/or motion sensor lights at business locations as a deterrent to criminal behavior.