Documents › Board of Trustees Work Session, 2026-05-27

correspondence 6 pages

Redacted emails to the Mayor and Board of Trustees opposing a full year-round ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. A Cleveland Drive resident writes that an electric blower cannot handle his fall cleanup, says he could support a roughly nine-month ban, and calls it unfair if the school district, the Village, the golf course and larger properties go unregulated. Daniel Bennett argues the outcome appears predetermined and that the Conservation Advisory Committee has no authority over his property, and David Becker urges keeping the current seasonal restrictions, arguing electric blowers are still loud and not pollution-free.

Also attached to this agenda item: Leaf Blower Correspondence

From: To: Cc: Brian Pugh; Stacey Nachtaler; Maria Slippen: Nora Nicholson: Len Simon Bryan Healy Subject: Date: Against a full leaf blower ban Wednesday, May 27, 2026 8:03:46 AM Caution: External First-Time Sender Details ***CAUTION: External sender.*** Dear Mayor and Board of Trnstees, .s.ate  Ebisb. More EAQ Protection by INKY I am against a full, year round leaf blower ban. My reasons for suppo1iing a pa1iial ban are that: I have both a gas and electric leaf blower and the electric does not meet my needs in the fall. Even though I mulch my leaves, the electric blower is insufficient to get the leaves out from the bushes, trees and fence line smTounding my house so they can be mulched. I find the excuse that banning gas blowers would somehow increase mulching to be disingenuous and misleading. In addition, with a flat roof where many homes on my section of Cleveland Drive reside, the electric blower is insufficient in clearing off the roof and gutters which require cleaning multiple times in the fall. I also abut village parkland and am inundated with the massive leaf drop from the many maples and oaks smTounding me on three sides. I can suppo1i a more restrictive ban, maybe 9 months to allow the heaviest leaf season be managed by gas blowers but I find a total ban to be driven by a ve1y small albeit ve1y loud minority to be wrong for our village. I also would find it tenibly unfair for ce1iain groups, the school district, the village, the golf course and larger prope1iies to be unregulated by the ban. Please account for the actual burden on homeowners that maintain their own smaller prope1iies in heavily wooded areas. Gaiy Eisinger From: To: Date: I External Bryan Healy: Board of Trustees Gas Powered Leaf Blowers Friday, May 22, 2026 8:05:22 PM l***CAUTI0:'.\":11 External sender.***! Graymail Spam Phish More ... FAQ Protection by INKY Your own landscaper routinely uses gas-powered leaf blowers, and I have years of dated photographs documenting it. These tools are standard equipment in the industry. Citing 44 emails in favor of the ban only reinforces the impression that the outcome has ah-eady been decided, regardless of opposing viewpoints. The Conservation Adviso1y Committee is composed of unelected individuals and they have no authority over how I manage the cmtilage of my private prope1ty. Their opinions do not supersede my rights. If noise is the justification for this oveneach, then what comes next? A ban on gas-powered lawn mowers? Snowblowers? Cars and ti11cks? Once you strut down this path, there is no logical stopping point. Daniel Bennett accurate. Electric blowers are often still quite loud, especially in close residential settings, and they are not “pollution free” when considering battery manufacturing, charging demands, and overall energy consumption. They may reduce emissions compared to gas-powered models, but they do not eliminate the underlying concerns being cited as justification for a total ban. Rather than imposing a blanket prohibition, I encourage the Board to maintain the current seasonal restrictions that already balance residents’ concerns with practical maintenance needs. If additional adjustments are necessary, reasonable limits on hours of operation or equipment standards would be far more sensible than a complete ban. I respectfully ask the Board to reconsider the proposed year-round prohibition and preserve the existing compromise that has served the community appropriately. Thank you for your time and consideration. David Becker