By Michael Hill
Correspondent
It will become illegal for contractors in Maplewood from May 15 to the end of September to do some of their work after the Township Committee voted five to nothing Tuesday night to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, largely because they make too much noise.
“It’s a quality of life issue. It’s a health issue. It’s an environmental issue and there are scientific studies to back that up,” said Maplewood Deputy Mayor Nancy Adams.
“I can understand their reasoning behind it. I just thought it was a little overaggressive,” said County to County Landscape and Masonry Contractors owner Tom Venezia.
Venezia has been landscaping for 40 years. He says it seems hypocritical that the ban does not apply to work at the huge golf course in town or to homeowners.
“If you’re going to say that we’re polluting the air, then everybody’s polluting the air. If you’re going to say it’s a noise issue, then it’s a noise issue for everyone,” he said.
“I personally would like to see the gas leaf blower ban imposed on everyone who uses them. I don’t know if we have the political will for that,” Adams said.
The lawyer for the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association hinted a challenge may be on the way.
“It goes far beyond what is permissible,” said David Mairo, lawyer for the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association.
Maplewood launched a pilot of this gas-powered leaf blower ban last year but with finger-pointing for its lack of success. The township blames contractors for not complying. Contractors blame the township for lax enforcement.
But, this time, the township will impose stiff fines for violations: first offense $500; second offense $1,000; and third offense $1,500.
“Quite extreme. I think they were only $100 before, so we want these contractors to follow the law,” Adams said.
The owner of P & P Lawnmower in town says the solution is quieter blowers.
“Yes, it is a little bit more expensive for less air going out, but you don’t need the full volume of air in the summer months,” said Charlie Bravoco.
Maplewood homeowners told the committee what they thought.
“I don’t confess to know what all the answers are, but that is certainly a problem when I can clearly hear a noise a block and a half away,” said Victor Gallo.
“The companies that do the work, to be more considerate and whenever there is an opportunity, use a rake,” said Gideon Roman.
“To do this manually, first of all you’re not going to get as good a job. And secondly, it’s going to take much longer to do the same process. But it’s also a monetary issue for us and like I said, the bottom line is we have to make money and generate a profit,” Venezia said.
“This is not something that we brought up in order to hurt any contractor,” Adams said.
The deputy mayor says the town will increase enforcement of this new law that requires safety equipment for workers and restricts hours of operation and no gas-powered leaf blowers by contractors on Sundays. While the township and contractors debate the environmental impact, Maplewood knows that other towns will be watching while it listens for more quiet days for more than a third of the year.