Potsdam Wood Furnace Rules Wanted
POTSDAM - Town officials are considering regulating where outdoor wood furnaces can be used but at least one town council member thinks the devices should be banned outright.
Potsdam Town Planning Board member Mario Pusateri has presented the town board with a draft local law governing the installation and use of outdoor wood burning furnaces. Mr. Pusateri said he and other planning officials spent more than six months researching the alternative heating units and their potential impact on town residents.
He said 63 municipalities across New York state have adopted local laws either regulating or banning the use of outdoor furnaces and said Potsdam currently has no such law on the books.
He said the nearby communities of Norwood, Pierrepont, Fort Covington, Heuvelton, Burke and Malone have all adopted laws regulating outdoor furnaces in recent years.
Mr. Pusateri said outdoor furnaces are gaining popularity annually, climbing from 1,800 units sold across the state in 2004 to roughly 7,500 units in 2008. He said state figures for the number of units sold in 2009 are not yet available but that he expects a sizable increase from the year before.
Mr. Pusateri said the sale of outdoor wood furnaces is being driven by people seeking more affordable ways to heat their homes.
"People will do what it takes in tough economic times to make things right," he said.
Mr. Pusateri said there are approximately 20 wood fired boilers now in operation in the town of Potsdam.
Councilwoman Judith R. Rich said she is against passing a local law that only regulates where outdoor furnaces can be used, suggesting there is no way to ensure people only burn seasoned hardwood and not trash and other substances.
"We have enough problems with our air with barrel burning, we haven't had a grip on that so how do we expect to get a grip on this?" Mrs. Rich said. "I just know people are going to put stuff in these furnaces that doesn't belong, and any person with common sense knows they are."
The draft law being considered by the town allows installation of wood boilers in most areas of the township outside the villages of Potsdam and Norwood with a permit from the town code enforcement officer and as long as the boiler is not within 30 feet of a neighboring property line. However the proposed law does not allow the furnaces in residential areas where homes are in close proximity.
Councilman Michael J. Zagrobelny said the town board should take its time studying the draft local law before deciding whether to hold a public hearing. He also disagreed with Mrs. Rich's assertion the boiler units should be banned.
"The fact is there are many responsible people who have these, and heat their homes with them, and there may be other responsible people that are planning on installing one," Mr. Zagrobelny said.
