Hicks: Mud boggers flouted the rules

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By Dan King

The Mettowee Off Road Extreme Park’s “Spring Fling” this year was an “epic disaster,” Granville Supervisor Matt Hicks said.

Ralph Jameson, the park’s owner, said his goal for last weekend’s mud-bogging event was to abide by local laws and rules that apply to his business.

He said that he told drivers to not park on county Route 12, to wash their cars before they left, to shut down noisy exhaust by 9 p.m. and to not use the three-ton bridge near Schoony’s, because they would exceed the weight limit.

However, Hicks said, that was not the case.

“The line was huge, you couldn’t get an emergency vehicle through if you tried,” Hicks said. “The road was a mess on Saturday, they weren’t compliant with the bridge rule, I received several noise complaints, there were DWI arrests and a domestic dispute arrest. They must have towed double digit cars.”

Both State Police and the Washington County Sheriff’s Dept. had a heavy presence near the event, which took place on county Route 12, near the Whitehall-Granville line.

“The sheriffs were turning people away at the bridge,” Hicks said.

State Police Sgt. Dan Symer confirmed there were multiple arrests during the weekend, including DWI arrests and at least one marijuana offense.

Symer said prior to the event that State Police were going to have a heavy presence because they had received complaints about it in the past. He called it a “proactive” approach.

The event had more than just a law enforcement impact, however.

It coincided with a maple open house at Rathbun’s Sugar House, which is located nearby, on Hatch Hill Road.

Owner Matt Rathbun said early on the traffic from the event caused problems for those trying to get to his sugar house.

“People had to wait in line, some of them said 20-25 minutes to get in,” Rathbun said. “Once I called the police and they started pushing traffic up Upper Turnpike (Road) it got better.”

Hicks said things went smoother on Sunday.

“The road was much better on Sunday, but Saturday was a mess,” he said.

The next scheduled event at Mettowee Off Road Extreme Park is scheduled for May 6-8.

Jameson did not respond to a message for comment on this story.