The Grand County Council and state School and Institutional Lands Trust Administration officials will hold a joint workshop April 27 to discuss off-road vehicle issues in the La Sal Mountains.

During the council’s April 7 meeting, Brian Torgerson, SITLA’s local representative told the council that vehicles are restricted to existing roads by SITLA on its mountain properties, but many user-created trails are causing problems

He said that specialists employed by SITLA seek to share experiences with council members and come up with a game plan on how to inventory roads and determine which ones should be left open.

The joint SITLA/county council workshop on ORV issues in the mountains will take place April 27, 5:30 p.m., at the Grand Center.

Torgerson also told county officials that he and other SITLA representatives met periodically with council staff and Greg Adams of San Juan County during 2008 regarding the Spanish Valley Regional Planning Advisory Board. They came up with a mission statement, or guiding principles for future management and development of that area, he said.

“The mission of the [board] is to aid [SITLA] in collaboratively shaping a comprehensive vision for the region’s future growth and to ensure sustainability of our counties and their communities by balancing the concerns for the economy, the environment, and social well-being,” Torgerson said.

But the national recession has put things on hold, according to Doug Buchi, SITLA’s assistant director for development, who also attended the April 7 meeting. Buchi said the reality is that now is not a good time to develop, but it is a good time to plan. He discussed engaging a consulting group to come up with an “idea” for Grand County’s part of Spanish Valley within nine months, and a plan within 18 months. He did not say when the effort would begin.

Under pressure from council member Audrey Graham, Buchi said it is time to involve the community. “Now is the time ... for us to bring something to the table ... and get feedback to a plan that we hope would embrace the kind of principles that we are talking about,” he said.