To the editor:
I am writing on behalf of the town’s Leaf Blower Study Committee to respond to Squirrel’s recent article on 1) our proposal to restrict leaf blower use and 2) on our interactions with the Board of Health (“Board of Health: residential areas don’t need leaf blower regulations,” January 9, 2015). We object to the term “crackdown,” you used to describe our recent proposed regulation and think it is premature to entitle your article “…residential areas don’t need leaf blower regulations.” Our reasoning is explained below.
The Leaf Blower Study Committee was formed to study noise and pollution from growing use of leaf blowers and explore viable alternatives. To date, we have conducted a town survey, researched health and environmental impacts of leaf blower noise and pollution, and sponsored events on alternative technologies. We provide a town web page and Facebook page with educational and informational materials. Regulation is one approach among others we consider.
Our committee is divided into two subcommittees: education and regulation. The regulation subcommittee took on the task of trying to develop a simple, enforceable, and effective regulation which could help break the cycle of increasing use of leaf blowers. After researching regulations enacted by 85 other towns/cities in the Northeast and across the country, and receiving input from the town’s police and building departments, it seemed reasonable to present a regulation to the town that would restrict leaf blower use in the summer and define hours of use in other seasons. Similar regulations have been effective in other towns.
A main benefit of the proposed regulation would be to provide at least one season in which we could enjoy the outdoors and avoid being subjected to chronic, loud noise and fumes. At present, our citizens have no practical recourse to exposure to chronic, loud noise and air pollution at their homes. Compared with the all-out bans on gas-powered blowers in other areas of the country, our proposed regulation can hardly be called a “crackdown.”
The use of the term “crackdown” is also inflammatory and contrary to the spirit in which our committee operates, one of cooperation and collaboration. Our committee is composed of residents as well as members of the Department of Public Works, Parks and Recreation Department, Conservation Commission, and Rural Land Foundation. We interact with other town boards, including the Boards of Health and Selectmen, and encourage participation and input from all of our citizens. The proposed regulation was purposely introduced to test the reaction of the public, including residents, landscape contractors and commercial property owners, with the goal of presenting a modified proposal (reflecting that input as necessary) in a second public forum (scheduled for February 25). This is the “Lincoln way” in which our boards and committees have traditionally operated.
Regarding our interactions with the Board of Health, we are appreciative of the support and cooperation we have received. Our work with the Board began in March 2013 when we presented an evidence-based report on leaf blowers and health, focusing on gas-powered blowers. The Board subsequently issued a statement: “Exposure to high intensity, episodic or long duration noise and air particulate and vapor dispersion from leaf blowers represents significant potential health hazards to our citizens. The Board of Health supports the Town of Lincoln Leaf Blower Study Group’s efforts to craft effective and economically sound approaches to mitigate those health risks.”
In a meeting in November, we met with the board to discuss the proposed regulation. The board did not endorse the regulation, largely because it did not address the public health risk the board identified in the “business center” (Lincoln Station area). In its subsequent health advisory (December 10), the board describes the public health risk in the business center, but at this point, could not definitively say that risks exist in other parts of town. To address the problem in the business center, it urged the committee to use the board’s backing to negotiate with property owners and contractors to find quieter, cleaner alternatives for hard surface cleaning and restrict days and hours of maintenance. We have notified the board that we intend to act expeditiously. We will continue to work closely with the board.
Sincerely,
Jamie Banks, PhD, MS
Chair, Lincoln Leaf Blower Study Committee
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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