Adding an outdoor furnace might seem like a good idea in the face of winter. But in the Town of Brutus, a moratorium on outdoor furnaces may soon be in effect.
The Joint Planning Board for the town and the village of Weedsport requested a six-month moratorium on the placement of outdoor furnaces, to go into effect once the Cayuga County Planning Board responds and a public hearing is held.
At the Sept. 8 town board meeting, David Miller, town councilman, said public health and safety issues were behind the request, which the village is also considering.
“One of the things we're really against is having one of these built in the village,” James Hotaling, town supervisor, said.
Jeffrey Hinman, town councilman, said type of fuel and equipment greatly affect how outdoor furnaces burn.
The board referred the proposed moratorium to the Cayuga County Planning Department for further comment and will schedule a public hearing on the moratorium if the town receives a response before its Oct. 13 board meeting.
An enacted moratorium may be extended for an additional six-month period.
Hotaling said Jim Sullivan and the joint planning committee had asked the town to hold off on declaring a moratorium in order to develop guidelines for outdoor furnace installation. Hotaling stressed urgency, given the advent of the heating season, and said he hoped to have an ordinance in place by mid-December or January.
The Joint Planning Board will likely hold special work sessions on the regulations.
“What you really need to do is be part of the committee,” he said, “rather than complain about the regulations.” All involved parties should be there to work out the details.
“We can have a good set of results that make everybody happy,” Hotaling said.
“Outdoor furnace” is “any device, appliance, equipment, apparatus or structure that is designed, intended and/or used to provide heat and/or hot water to any associated structure, that operates by burning wood or any other fuel, including, but not limited to, paper pellets and agricultural products, is not located within the structure to be heated, and includes, but is not limited to, devices referred to as wood furnaces, outdoor boilers and outdoor stoves.”
Hinman said since the concern is the effect of outdoor furnaces on the village (a high density population), maybe the whole town should not be included in the moratorium. However, his was the lone voice against passing the resolution.
Hotaling said areas outside the village have become more developed over the past five or six years, for example, Clinton Road.
“You've got to look at property lines, the kinds of furnaces out there, and regulations for the emissions of smoke,” he said. Some wood stoves, for example, include a type of catalytic converter, making them 70 percent more efficient than just letting smoke run up a stovepipe. Even the height of the pipe can affect people living nearby.
“We have to set up the guidelines, and the code enforcement officer will have to enforce them,” he said.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
At the Sept. 8 town board meeting, David Miller, town councilman, said public health and safety issues were behind the request, which the village is also considering.
“One of the things we're really against is having one of these built in the village,” James Hotaling, town supervisor, said.
Jeffrey Hinman, town councilman, said type of fuel and equipment greatly affect how outdoor furnaces burn.
The board referred the proposed moratorium to the Cayuga County Planning Department for further comment and will schedule a public hearing on the moratorium if the town receives a response before its Oct. 13 board meeting.
An enacted moratorium may be extended for an additional six-month period.
Hotaling said Jim Sullivan and the joint planning committee had asked the town to hold off on declaring a moratorium in order to develop guidelines for outdoor furnace installation. Hotaling stressed urgency, given the advent of the heating season, and said he hoped to have an ordinance in place by mid-December or January.
The Joint Planning Board will likely hold special work sessions on the regulations.
“What you really need to do is be part of the committee,” he said, “rather than complain about the regulations.” All involved parties should be there to work out the details.
“We can have a good set of results that make everybody happy,” Hotaling said.
“Outdoor furnace” is “any device, appliance, equipment, apparatus or structure that is designed, intended and/or used to provide heat and/or hot water to any associated structure, that operates by burning wood or any other fuel, including, but not limited to, paper pellets and agricultural products, is not located within the structure to be heated, and includes, but is not limited to, devices referred to as wood furnaces, outdoor boilers and outdoor stoves.”
Hinman said since the concern is the effect of outdoor furnaces on the village (a high density population), maybe the whole town should not be included in the moratorium. However, his was the lone voice against passing the resolution.
Hotaling said areas outside the village have become more developed over the past five or six years, for example, Clinton Road.
“You've got to look at property lines, the kinds of furnaces out there, and regulations for the emissions of smoke,” he said. Some wood stoves, for example, include a type of catalytic converter, making them 70 percent more efficient than just letting smoke run up a stovepipe. Even the height of the pipe can affect people living nearby.
“We have to set up the guidelines, and the code enforcement officer will have to enforce them,” he said.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
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