Outdoor theatre company 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook is urging the Township of Cavan Monaghan not to allow all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to use Zion Line as a travel route.
It’s one of two route options in a staff report that township council will be considering at a meeting on Tuesday, July 2nd, following a delegation made by the Kawartha ATV Association at the May 6th council meeting to help develop an ATV route that would link trails in Kawartha Lakes to the Ganaraska trail system.
At the May 6th meeting, council directed staff to meet with the Kawartha ATV Association advisory group and report back to council. As well as proposed ATV travel routes, the advisory group has also requested that riders be allowed to drive on the streets of Millbrook every day from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., so they can purchase fuel, eat in restaurants, and shop in stores.
4th Line Theatre has two issues with the proposed ATV route on Zion Line.
One issue is with the noise. The engines of ATVs generally lack sound insulation as well as effective mufflers. This “race car sound” is a feature that many ATV riders enjoy, but makes the machines very noisy for others, even at a distance.
For 4th Line Theatre, the sound from ATVs using Zion Line “will have a devastating effect” on the theatre’s ability to stage plays at Winslow Farm, according to a recent email sent by the theatre organization.
“The noise caused by ATVs on Zion Line would cause us to have to stop a performance,” the email states, and would “drastically affect” the experience of audience members.
For the past 27 years, 4th Line Theatre has been presenting as many as 42 outdoor performances to more than 15,000 people every summer.
The other issue 4th Line Theatre has with the Zion Line route option is traffic and safety. According to the organization, traffic on Zion Line increases significantly during the summer months due to the operations of the theatre, with more than 200 theatre staff and volunteers frequently travelling on Zion Line, along with vendors and service vehicles as well as the vehicles of audience members.
4th Line Theatre is also concerned with safety, as Zion Line is very windy and has blind corners.
“We are concerned that ATV traffic on Zion Line would cause travel on the road to become highly dangerous for ATV operators as well as drivers,” the theatre writes.
4th Line Theatre has sent a letter to the council of the Township of Cavan Monaghan pointing out that, if a decision is made to allow ATVs to travel along Zion Line, the theatre’s future is in doubt.
“If ATVs are permitted to travel on Zion Line, 4th Line’s operations at the Winslow farm may have to cease due to the aforementioned affects of ATV traffic.”
The Zion Line route is one of two route options being presented to council (possible route options are shown on the map above; kawarthaNOW has added the 4th Line Theatre marker to show the proximity of the Zion Line route to the Winslow Farm).
The staff report to be discussed on July 2nd recommends that council provide direction on the future development of off-road motorized vehicle trails in the municipality and that a public meeting be scheduled for the August 6th council meeting to allow for public consultation.
