OHVs ousted

A little update from our friends in The Great White North, otherwise known as Silverton.

Back in June, we reported Silverton was headed toward yet another vote on whether to allow OHVs in town. Well, that happened Tuesday, and the results are in: OHVs will no longer be permitted to ride within town limits.

Silverton voters first opened select streets to OHVs in 2014 to provide easy access to businesses in town and boost the town’s fragile tourism-dependent economy.

But in the past few years, OHV popularity has exploded, and many people in the town of about 600 residents were fed up with the noise, illegal off-roading, dust and traffic the all-terrain vehicles bring. In 2017, a vote to oust OHVs lost by a slim margin, with support for the vehicles still strong among businesses that benefit the most from tourism.

After a record busy year in 2020, however, tensions again flared, forcing yet another town vote. This one, though, wasn’t even close with residents voting 291-189 to ban OHVs from all streets and alleys in town limits.

And thus ends the latest in the Silverton OHV saga, for now.