A meeting of three Representative Town Meeting committees on Tuesday will continue the ongoing review of enacting an ordinance to regulate the local use of gas-powered leaf blowers.
By John Schwing
WESTPORT — Seeking to head off a blow up over a proposal to regulate gas-powered leaf blowers in town, three committees of the Representative Town Meeting this week will hold a joint meeting to gather views from officials and landscapers on the issue.
The RTM’s Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Environment committees will host the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, in the Town Hall auditorium.
The panels previously discussed the proposal in September.
Since Tuesday’s gathering is considered a committee work session, the public is invited to attend, but cannot speak.
But committee leaders say there will be additional meetings on the ordinance proposal at which the public can comment before any decisions are made on final rules.
Committee members have invited several public officials, as well as local groundskeeper and landscaper representatives, to weigh in Tuesday on the regulations.
The proposed ordinance — which is not final and remains under review — would allow use of gas-powered blowers for two six-week periods annually — Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, and March 15 to April 30. The devices would be prohibited the rest of the year.
Electric and battery-powered leaf blowers, which are not as noisy and are less polluting, would be allowed year-round. There would be exceptions to rules for gas-powered equipment for golf courses and public works projects, as well as during a state of emergency.
Gas-powered blowers also would be restricted to one unit on properties smaller than an acre, two on parcels between one and two acres, and three on three-acre parcels.
At an informational gathering on the proposal hosted by Wakeman Town Farm in early November, a group of lawn maintenance company owners and workers, as well as a representative of the Connecticut Groundskeepers Association, expressed general concerns about the regulations which they consider too restrictive.
They also indicated that if the ordinance is enacted in its present form, they would likely have to pass along higher costs to their Westport clients, contending the rules would be more labor-intensive.
Advocates favoring restrictions on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, however, told the Wakeman gathering that the devices’ pollution and noise are both detrimental to public health.
One speaker said that using a gas-powered leaf blower for 30 minutes creates as much pollution as driving an F-150 pickup from Texas to Alaska.
The exhaust from leaf blowers contains carcinogens, and they also contribute to ground-level ozone, according to regulation proponents.
Among those invited to speak at this week’s RTM work session are: Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich, Parks and Recreation Direction Jennifer Fava, Police Chief Foti Koskinas, the head groundskeeper for Birchwood Country Club and Connecticut Groundskeepers Association representatives.
Other communities have successfully reduced the pollution noise and environmental harm to birds and other animals . We can do it too.
The committee should take into consideration the size of the parcel that needs to her serviced. There are many large developments in Town that are over 10 to 15 acres and using electrically charged leaf blowers and mowers would be terribly inefficient. I suggest that if a parcel is 10 acres or more that the time periods for the use of gas powered equipment be expanded.
Communities all over the country, including the State of California are transitioning away from gas powered yard equipment. This proposal doesn’t completely ban the use of gas powered leaf blowers. Clean up in fall and spring are the times when they are most needed and will be permitted under the proposed regulations. Nevertheless, the restrictions during the rest of the year will reduce air pollution and noise.
Restricting gas blowers to “1” on 1 acre or less, “2” on properties 1-2 acres, etc. is idiotic. Would you prefer that the noise from 1 blower go on for 2 hours, or the noise from 2 blowers go on for 1 hour? Same emissions, same noise– but for only 1 hour instead of 2 hours. That regulation makes no sense. I’d rather have 3 blowers do the job in 30 minutes! The most annoying of all is my neighbor, who uses a single inefficient blower (not sure if it is battery or gas but probably battery) and uses it all day long! Goes on for hours and hours and it’s still very noisy. Is that what Westport wants? I’m all for moving to battery/electric vs gasoline, but we have to be sensible about it.
Hey 06880 Parent, happy to see that Fox has apparently told you to focus on leaf blowers instead of CRT…..which has mysteriously fallen out of the news cycle.
“Fox”? lol. Don’t watch it. Try the NEA and its “Racial Justice in Education Resource Guide”. I guess just because CRT isn’t in your “news cycle”, it’s no longer important? How mindless can you be? I feel bad for you John D.
I would like to hear comments on equitable enforcement of the proposed ordinance Furthermore all leaf blowing should be never on Sunday except emergencies declared by state or local officials
Very much agree with you Arline. How is it equitable that golf courses and public works projects don’t have the same requirement as home owners? Maybe because the town doesn’t want to incur the extra costs involved? But it’s OK to pass the costs on to home owners. That’s not right at all. And yes, absolutely– Sunday should be a day of rest for all. No noisy leaf blowers of any kind on Sunday. Amen.
We need this ordinance because they are so invasive and disturbing to so many people … new technology people
Can anyone say New Technology is needed ?
Limiting the number of blowers used by the property size will not achieve the goal of reducing the amount of time blowers (Gas or electric) are used. The prudent decision is to allow multiple blowers regardless of the property size.
If you watch landscapers they work as a team so the leaves are in constant motion. As someone who uses commercial grade gas blowers on my property it always takes less than half the time using two blowers than 1 blower. It’s not an equation of 1 blower for 1 hour is equal to 2 blowers for 30 minutes. How much less than half the time will depend upon each property. In the case of my property the equation is closer to 1 blower at 5 hours is equal to 2 blowers at 2 hours (300 minutes vs 240 minutes). It takes more energy\time (gas, electric, human) to move a pile of leaves than it does to keep the same number of leaves moving. This is simple momentum.
Restricting blowers from Sunday use is extremely punitive to homeowners who do their own yard work. Sometimes you don’t have time to do the yard work on Saturday due to rain, children’s sports, and family commitments. During the fall leaf season if you don’t keep up weekly it becomes a big burden to catch up. If people want a free day of no leaf blowers make it Wednesday.
This is a big problem that the RTM is diminishing by limiting participation in the meeting… gas powered leaf blowers are a very serious health problem. The current proposals don’t go anywhere near what needs to be done…. Ban the use of equipment that jeopardize our health. Stop the cowardice. Why should business take precedence over our health?