Staff Writer
HOULTON — Houlton town councilors unanimously voted in favor of adopting an outdoor wood boiler ordinance, despite concerns raised during Monday night’s council meeting. Members of the public were given the chance to openly discuss the issues of outdoor wood boilers and to make their own recommendations to councilors.
Houlton resident Brad Graham originally came before the council earlier this year citing complaints about an outdoor wood boiler near his home. Graham says his family’s health has suffered due to exposure from the boiler’s smoke and has requested that the town put a stop to its use. Graham was in favor of having an ordinance to regulate the heating device, however, he was not happy with the grandfather clause, which was included.
“I’m very much against any type of grandfather clause being included in this law,” said Graham. “These do affect property values.”
For nearly half an hour Graham pleaded with the council to make changes to the clause, which allows those presently using outdoor wood boilers to make adjustments only to their stack heights and nothing else. Graham felt too much attention was being put toward making present users happy and he wanted to see the council put more focus toward those who live near those outdoor furnaces.
“You have the opportunity now to save people’s lives,” remarked Graham. “The people who lived there before the wood boilers, let’s give them the grandfather clause for the right to breathe. You have the opportunity, but you have to choose.
“If you have a grandfather clause, think of the people who were there first,” he said.
Councilors empathized with Graham and his family regarding their concerns, however they felt it was in the town’s best interest to move forward with the ordinance. Town Manager Doug Hazlett told council that there was “no perfect order for this,” but they needed to begin somewhere.
“It’s a moving target,” commented Councilor Walter Goodrich. “We can always modify it. We can do that at a later date.”
Councilor Sue Tortello said the best move they could make is to try to regulate future outdoor wood boiler users and agreed that it is an order than can be adjusted when the need arises.
“It’s certainly better than not having one at all,” she explained.
Councilor Carl Lord called the ordinance a “doable” order and went one step farther and criticized one member of the public for their role in bringing the study of outdoor wood boilers in the town to a halt. Activist Stan Ginish opposed the council’s plan to create a moratorium for the systems and obtained the appropriate number of signatures on a petition to have the issue put on this November’s referendum. Council’s response to that was to withdraw the moratorium and move straight to an ordinance. Councilor Lord felt Ginish forced the town to make a snap decision by taking away the time for them to obtain the necessary information the planning board needed in order to begin putting together an ordinance.
Councilor Paul Romanelli felt the ordinance was more than just a “starting point.” He felt that it was what the town needed to ensure better health for all those involved.
“The major interest that I have is to protect the people of the town of Houlton,” he explained. “I’m in favor of this.”
Owners that fall into the grandfather clause are required to obtain a present use permit from the town of Houlton’s code enforcement officer. Conditions have to be met prior to a permit being issued, such as a minimum 10 feet for stack heights. Set backs of a minimum of 200 feet from property lines are going to be imposed, except in the case of existing boilers. Having to move existing outdoor wood boilers to meet the requirements could create a financial hardship for current owners. Stack heights would be required to be higher if this is the case.
Defining what an outdoor wood boiler was also an issue, which was resolved within the ordinance. An outdoor wood boiler is defined as an “outdoor wood-fired hydronic heater, water stove or outdoor wood furnace; a fuel burning device designed to (1) burn wood or other approved solid fuels; (2) that the manufacturer specifies for outdoor installation or installation in structures not normally occupied by humans (e.g., garages); and (3) heats building space and/or water via the distribution, typically thorugh pipes, of a fluid heated in the device, typically water or a water/antifreeze mixture.”
Town officials have repeatedly stated that an outdoor wood boiler does not include wood stoves or fireplaces, which are found inside homes. An outdoor wood boiler typically sits adjacent to the home and looks similar to an outdoor shed, which has a stove pipe on top of it.
Councilors feel that by increasing the stack height, it will minimize the smoke that could potentially drift into neighboring homes, which is what residents have been complaining about.
Another recommendation included in the ordinance is that the setback be increased to 1,000 feet if the outdoor wood boiler is within range of the following: places of assembly, churches, schools, day cares, funeral homes, nursing homes, health care facilities and federal, state, or municipal grounds (excluding right of ways).
Another issue addressed dealt specifically with what cannot be burned in an outdoor wood boiler. Controlling the emission of air contaminants is one of the draft ordinance’s priorities. The general provisions state that “no person shall burn any of the following items in an outdoor wood boiler: any wood that does not meet the definition of clean wood, garbage, tires, lawn clippings or yard waste, materials containing plastic, materials containing rubber, waste petroleum products, paints and paint thinners, chemicals, glossy or colored papers, construction and demolition debris, plywood, particleboard, salt water driftwood, manure, animal carcasses, any materials deemed hazardous by the AHJ and asphalt products.”
Items that can be burned include clean wood or wood pellets made from clean wood. Clean wood is defined as: “wood that has no paint, stain, or other types of coatings, and wood that has not been treated with, including but not limited to, copper chromium arsenate, creosote, or pentachlorophenol.”
The ordinance in its entirety can be obtained at the town office.
