Apparently, fourth time is the charm for snowmobiling in Whitehall.
This map shows the location of snowmobile trails in Muskegon County. Whitehall did not allow snowmobiling within city limits, but voters approved a proposal to allow it.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Voters approved a ballot proposal promoted by the White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to allow snowmobiling within Whitehall city limits between the hours of 7 a.m. and midnight. Unofficial results indicated 795 people voted for the proposal and 528 voted against it.
Whitehall had previously banned the use of snowmobiles within city limits.
The ballot language didn’t specify exactly where snowmobiling would be allowed – only that it would be legal Dec. 1 through April 1 on routes designated by city council members. Whitehall City Manager Scott Huebler couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday night, but he said before the election that if the proposal passed, the city would get to work on determining the most appropriate path for snowmobiles.
Voters had rejected proposals to allow snowmobiling three times in the past, but a 2010 survey suggested attitudes might be shifting when it found a majority of residents were in favor of snowmobiling.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amy VanLoon said before the election that snowmobilers who want to ride through northern Muskegon County had to go east of Whitehall, load their snowmobiles on a trailer to go through the city or take the possibly unsafe route across White Lake. If the city were open to snowmobiles, winter recreation fans might decide to spend the night there while on a trip instead of going somewhere else, she said.
