LaSalle County property committee updates park rules, proposes 10 mph limit for class 1 ebikes

LaSalle County's County Property Committee reviewed a suite of proposed changes to parks rules and regulations on Jan. 16, including a new vehicle-operations section that would allow class 1 pedal-assist ebikes on trails at speeds of up to 10 miles per hour and tighten camping, reservation and signage rules.

Kent, the parks staff member presenting the draft, said the alcohol policy date was corrected to Oct. 31 and that references to "public use building" would be changed to "community building" to match reservation forms. He said the parks crew treated stumps after forestry mowing at Catlin Park and is seeing a "90 to 95 percent reduction" in invasive resprouts where herbicide was applied. Kent also described recent hand-seeding and targeted low-intensity burns intended to restore native forbs and prairie habitat.

The draft rewrites make camping allowed only with permission "at the discretion of the park director," prohibit unpermitted fires while allowing grills, and clarify that park staff determine authorized camping locations. Reservation logistics were simplified to require one copy and a self-addressed stamped envelope; Kent said the minimum reservation price was set at $1.25 based on cleaning estimates. He also noted staff will confirm what documentation auditors need to see related to deposits.

On vehicle use, Kent said he added rules covering ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, ebikes and bicycles. He told the committee: "class 1 pedal pedal assist ebikes are allowed on trails at speeds of 10 miles an hour or less." He said larger class 2 or class 3 ebikes that meet state and local motor-vehicle rules would be allowed only on park roadways and parking areas where licensed motor vehicles are permitted, not on trails. Committee members raised ADA-access concerns and asked staff to research how state parks treat ebikes, watt/speed limits, and trails shared with horses and pedestrians.

Kent said park hours will be clarified: Catlin parks as sunrise to sunset and the Shabana site will reflect seasonal hours (May 1Oct. 31). He is also exploring automated gate options (timers or key fobs) but noted Wi-Fi limitations at some locations and recounted that gates at Shabana have in the past been torn off by vehicles. He proposed a seasonal restriction window (MayNovember) for horses, bicycles and ebikes to protect trails when they are muddy.

Committee members did not adopt a final rule set during the meeting; Kent said he will make the edits, further research ebike rules, and bring a revised draft to a future meeting. "So we'll talk about it next meeting," he said. The discussion included direct operational clarifications and several committee requests for additional legal and technical checks before final approval.

Ending: The parks rules discussion concluded with staff direction to update maps and signage and to return with a revised draft; no final adoption of the full rules package was recorded during the meeting.