Dennis Davis longs to enjoy the pleasant summer breeze in his Oak Vista home,on the west side of Sashabaw near Woodhull Lake, but he says his neighbors make that impossible.
‘I feel it’s not right that I have to sacrifice because somebody’s burning all the time,? Davis told the Independence Township Board on Tuesday, July 1.
Davis lobbied for a reduction in the number of days open burning is allowed in the township, and he is not alone.
Clarkston resident Nell Deake estimates at least six days in the last couple months in which neighbors have had fires in their yards, large and long. She is concerned about the safety of old homes in the city.
‘There are so many wood houses,? she said, believing those doing the burning know it. ‘They don’t burn next to their house.?
Deake responded to a letter to the editor from Jim Altene in the March 24 issue of The Clarkston News, and is among those who believe there is a health issue, as well.
‘I get a really nauseated feeling,? she said. ‘That’s why I think they’re not just burning leaves.?
Although the April ice storm caused a lot of downed branches, Deake and Davis both said they have experienced the problem for quite a while.
‘This has gone on for several years,? Deake said. ‘I don’t see [the ice storm] as a difference.?
Township Supervisor Dale Stuart said officials have grappled with this issue in the past.
‘We get requests in regard to burning both ways,? Stuart said. ‘We have looked at the possibilities, such as picking up the waste, and we’re not able to do it. Every time we have looked at it, we have come to the conclusion that what we’ve got is as good as it’s going to get.?
At the July 1 meeting, Stuart asked Davis if he has talked to his neighbors about the problem.
‘I don’t get too friendly with my neighbors,? Davis replied.
Deake said it’s hard to protest to neighbors if the practice is legal.
‘Am I going to call and ask, ‘Does my neighbor have a permit today?? I don’t want to do that,? she said.
Davis said he has called the fire department to complain, but Stuart said people should call to report violations.
‘They can’t burn ‘all the time,?? Stuart said.
Deake said people should take advantage of other opportunities to dispose of yard waste.
All waste companies do not provide curbside pickup of yard waste (which by law can no longer be placed in landfills), and Independence Township does not have a township-wide contract with a waste hauler.
‘There are some people who would like us to ban burning entirely,? Stuart said. ‘The difficulty is we have to find some means to deal with the rubbish. It’s too expensive.?
Fire Marshal Greg Olrich said it is difficult to track open burning complaints, since formal reports are not always taken. He estimated ‘a handful? of complaints so far this year.