Sebastopol wants more time before making leaf blower decision

Sebastopol City Council members said they want to know what their options are in dealing with the noise generated by gas-engined leaf blowers before making any move to ban the machines.

“I'd like to see options at both ends, from maintaining the status quo and then a ban and then some nuanced options in between,” said Councilman Guy Wilson, who had asked for the issue to be put on the council's Tuesday night agenda.

“My lawnmower is quite noisy and I'm very sensitive to the noise I'm causing my neighbors. But I'd like to be more flexible than an outright ban,” said Vice Mayor Linda Kelley.

Acting on complaints from residents, the council Tuesday began considering a ban, which would be a first in Sonoma County, although other California cities have already put bans or restrictions in place on leaf blowers.

The gas-engined leaf blowers were singled out because of the noise and the pollution from the gasoline engine, although there were also some concerns about the dust that is blown up from parking lots as well.

“The typical complaint is people appreciate peace and quiet, especially in a residential neighborhood,” Wilson said.

Resident Shepherd Bliss complained that the noise from gas-powered blowers is invasive and a mental health issue to people like himself.

“I think the public health concern is great, and it's more for some of us than others,” Bliss said.

Councilman Larry Robinson said that if noise is the chief concern, maybe the council needs to look at banning lawn mowers, hedge trimmers and chain saws as well.

“If noise is the primary issue, we need to look at all the sources of neighborhood noise,” Robinson said.

Councilwoman Kathleen Shaffer said, however, that some noise is part of living in a city.

“I live right downtown. There is a lot of noise,” she said. “This is a small town, but this is urban and there will be noise.”

Landscaper Chuck Sackett of the Apple Blossom Nursery in Sebastopol said the ban would be a hardship on his business, noting that sweeping is labor intensive and would be costly.

Resident Dede Goodrich said that sometimes brooms just don't work.

“We have a leaf blower and I am one to use a broom, but I don't know how else to get leaves off of rocks,” Goodrich said. “I'd hate to see a leaf blower ban.”

Public Works Director Richard Emig told the council that for the city it is a safety issue.

City workers have three gas-engined leaf blowers to clean walkways and parking lots of leaves, which can get wet and cause people to slip and fall.

“It could be an issue more this time of the year. It's cold and wet. In high traffic areas, it is important to keep the walkways as clean as possible,” Emig said.

The blowers could be replaced with newer, battery-powered units, but they would not be as good and the difference in noise is minimal, Emig said.

The city now has a noise ordinance that restricts the use of construction equipment from operating nights and holidays, but the ordinance does not address equipment used for on-going maintenance, such as the leaf blowers.

Mayor Sarah Gurney asked the city staff to look at alternatives to an outright ban, from modifying the existing noise ordinance to restricting the hours of operations or even setting aside quiet days when the maintenance equipment could not be used.