Coos County residents will have a chance to say how they would like the Riley Ranch developed at three informational meetings to be held this week.

The first meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Hauser Rural Fire Protection District office, 93622 Viking Lane in Hauser. The second and third meetings, which will offer the same information, will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Coos Bay Public Library.

The 135-acre Riley Ranch, located near Hauser on the west side of U.S. Highway 101, was purchased by the county for $824,000 last year with money from an Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department All Terrain Vehicle account allocation, according to Coos County Commissioner John Griffith. The county had to match the state's purchase money with value totaling $206,000, which could be from in-kind or property donations, according to Griffith. Property tax money was not used.

The allocation fund is built from ATV registration and gas taxes. It is anticipated that money to develop the ranch into a county park also will come from the ATV allocation after plans have been formulated. The informational meetings are the first step in that process.

Last month, the county hired Tem Recreation Consultants from Salem to perform a feasibility study to determine the best use of the property. TRC will be conducting the meetings.

Griffith said the primary use of the property is intended to be for off-road vehicles, although other uses will be allowed.

"We plan not to have ATV's at the north end so horse riders would still have a place to ride," he said. "The timeline for development will depend on what the people want, what the plan looks like and where they want it. Then we'll go back for another ATV allocation from the state."

According to the Coos County Parks Department, development of the property will take one to two years. The property also needs to be rezoned, from industrial to recreation, a process already begun by the county.

"We want people to come and tell us their hopes and thoughts," Griffith said of the meetings. "The planning is so important for this to get the best fit for the land and the community."

Those interested in more information about the meetings can contact Griffith at 396-3121, ext. 248.