State Forest Rangers checked more than 150 snowmobiles and issued multiple tickets for illegal mufflers and registration violations.

ARKWRIGHT — The Town of Arkwright has heard parking concerns along Meadows Road this winter as it pertains to snowmobiling. After what Supervisor Brian McAvoy described as “a good faith effort,” the Town has ended its pursuit of a solution with the state of New York.

“We asked for help. We tried. We considered alternative solutions,” McAvoy said.

McAvoy spoke with Sen. George Borrello’s office on the matter, which was described as a wildlife management issue. McAvoy then spoke with a state representative pertaining to wildlife management, who then directed the matter to a representative who oversees forestry matters. The forestry representative stated that there is already adequate parking in the town.

McAvoy asked if the town should redirect vehicles to the space already dedicated for parking, but was told no because it might not be available for parking due to plowing responsibilities of Chautauqua County. The town of Arkwright would just make the matter worse if it directed traffic to an area of road that is not maintained.

“Everybody is friendly and nice, but where I left it with the forestry person is, ‘You’ve got us between a rock and a hard place.’ The state and county want recreational tourism, but then you make the town hold the bag on the parking,” McAvoy said. “… Ticketing these people isn’t the solution.”

Town Councilman Larry Ball suggested offering a piece of land owned by the town in a trade for additional parking space. The state was not interested in land swap.

“We got answers back, but we didn’t get good answers back,” McAvoy said.

Highway Superintendent Lisa Waldron expressed that the issue was raised not only for snowmobiling, but also for hikers and skiers. “The town definitely made good effort,” Waldron said.