Ban On Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Pressed In Newtown Township
Community Corner
Ban On Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Pressed In Newtown Township Residents from Friends Village formally ask the board of supervisors to consider the passage of an ordinance banning gas-powered blowers.— At this time of year, the familiar buzz of the leaf blower seems to be everywhere, filling the air with its unmistakable sound and sending leaves blowing through the crisp, fall air.
It's that familiar noise that brought a handful of residents from the Friends Home and Village to Wednesday night's meeting of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors where they formally asked the township to consider implementing a ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in the township.
"You did a great job with the plastic bag ordinance," Tom Cadwallader, the president of the Residence Association at Friends Village, told the supervisors. "This would cut down on exhaust and noise and be safer for workers. The noise and the pollution are major, major problems," said the retired attorney from Yardley who now lives at the Lower Dolington Road retirement village.
"The lawn equipment industry is moving in that direction anyway so it would be a timely thing to maybe give that a friendly nudge and speed up that process so the residents of Newtown can sleep easier with less noise pollution," he said.
Kip Cherry, the vice president of the association, joined Cadwallader in recommending the township pass an ordinance that would include a two-year phase-out period.
"We've been cursed with a lot of leaf-blowing activity at our village and it has really brought it to our attention - the fact that these leaf blowers that use gasoline are creating a lot of noxious fumes, a lot of noise, are very hard on the workers and are more expensive to use than the electric and battery-operated leaf blowers," she told the board.
"We thought it would be a good thing for our community to have an ordinance to guide people to transition from gasoline-operated blowers to battery-operated leaf blowers," she continued. "We also think the landscape community would be very favorable because it will be good for their workers. We also believe it will be good for the township's public works department because it also is better for their workers."
Cherry added, "We find that if people have a choice between a gasoline-operated leaf blower and a battery-operated one they will chose the battery-operated one which is quiet and without any fumes. We would like your consideration of an ordinance."
Cherry read from a resolution passed by the association and presented to the board of supervisors. It reads, in part, "In light of the disadvantages of gas-operated leaf blowers, the Friends Village Association recognizes that the gasoline-powered leaf blowers cause significant environmental and health impacts including toxic pollution and excessive noise and strongly encourages Newtown Township to require the phase-out of the use of gasoline-powered leaf blowers within its municipal limits including their operation by homeowners, by commercial landscape firms and by the departments and agencies of the town as soon as possible."
Cherry said the Friends Village residents are recommending a two-year transition to give homeowners time to phase out their gasoline-powered blowers. "It's a slow process and it's not going to be done overnight.
"We think it would be tremendous and in the interest of the community," said Cherry. "We would also suggest in the ordinance setting up a gold star system so that firms that use battery-operated leaf blowers are given a gold star to put next to their name. It would help people select them and it would help their branding. "
A ban, she said, would "make a better world for all of us. We all know about greenhouse gases as well and it would help elevate some of that issue. Overall it's just a real plus for our community to go forward with this."
The residents offered to work with the township in developing the ordinance, including obtaining a copy of a similar ordinance passed in Princeton, New Jersey. "We are at your disposal," she said.
After listening to the residents, the supervisors asked the Environmental Advisory Council to explore the idea. The EAC recently spearheaded the banning of single-use plastic in the township.
"Our EAC agrees 100 percent," said Supervisor Elen Snyder. "We will look into what can be done," she said.
