POUGHQUAG — For some in Beekman, outdoor wood-burning furnaces are a cheap way to heat homes.
"What are you going to do when oil goes to $5 a gallon?" Peter Zielenski of Stagecoach Pass said.
Others in town say they are a smoky, unhealthy nuisance.
"We are inundated with smoke and a chemical odor everyday," Sharon Contelmo of Paine Road said.
The town board is debating whether to ban the furnaces or better regulate them.
The town currently has no regulations on how the outdoor furnaces can be operated.
That could soon change.
In response to complaints in a Stormville Mountain neighborhood about smoke from two furnaces there, the town drafted a law to ban them in Beekman. The existing ones, however, could continue to burn as long as owners obtain permits and abide by a set of rules.
"Fuel shall only be untreated wood or fuels specifically permitted by the manufacture," the proposed law reads.
Prohibited would be the burning of processed wood, kerosene, garbage and painted or treated wood.
1 supported, 6 opposed
A recent public hearing on the law drew support from one resident and opposition from six, including two furnace dealers.
"People have been burning wood to stay warm since the beginning of time," Zielenski, who opposes the ban, said.
Zielenski, a part-time dealer of Woodmaster outdoor furnaces, said some operating regulations are needed in Beekman.
"People shouldn't be burning pressure-treated wood," he said.
Jeff Contelmo, the sole supporter of the law at the hearing, said he and his wife, Sharon, are subject to smoke from two neighbors with outdoor furnaces — one on either side of their house.
Because the law would allow the existing furnaces to continue operating, the Contelmos say the proposed regulations should include a permissible threshold of smoke emission.
"There needs to be some protection of the neighbors," Sharon Contelmo said.
Councilmen Tom Kinsley and Dan French favor outlawing the outdoor furnaces.
"People don't realize what a nuisance they are," Kinsley said mentioning several towns, including Kingsbury in Washington County, that have banned the furnaces.
"You don't want to take property rights from people and you want to protect their investment," French said of the law's permitting process for existing furnaces.
Stiegler, Beekman Supervisor John Adams and Councilwoman Barbara Zulauf are undecided on how much regulation is needed.
"It's an affordable means of heating for some people," Zulauf said.
John Davis can be reached at [email protected]
"What are you going to do when oil goes to $5 a gallon?" Peter Zielenski of Stagecoach Pass said.
Others in town say they are a smoky, unhealthy nuisance.
"We are inundated with smoke and a chemical odor everyday," Sharon Contelmo of Paine Road said.
The town board is debating whether to ban the furnaces or better regulate them.
The town currently has no regulations on how the outdoor furnaces can be operated.
That could soon change.
In response to complaints in a Stormville Mountain neighborhood about smoke from two furnaces there, the town drafted a law to ban them in Beekman. The existing ones, however, could continue to burn as long as owners obtain permits and abide by a set of rules.
"Fuel shall only be untreated wood or fuels specifically permitted by the manufacture," the proposed law reads.
Prohibited would be the burning of processed wood, kerosene, garbage and painted or treated wood.
1 supported, 6 opposed
A recent public hearing on the law drew support from one resident and opposition from six, including two furnace dealers.
"People have been burning wood to stay warm since the beginning of time," Zielenski, who opposes the ban, said.
Zielenski, a part-time dealer of Woodmaster outdoor furnaces, said some operating regulations are needed in Beekman.
"People shouldn't be burning pressure-treated wood," he said.
Jeff Contelmo, the sole supporter of the law at the hearing, said he and his wife, Sharon, are subject to smoke from two neighbors with outdoor furnaces — one on either side of their house.
Because the law would allow the existing furnaces to continue operating, the Contelmos say the proposed regulations should include a permissible threshold of smoke emission.
"There needs to be some protection of the neighbors," Sharon Contelmo said.
Councilmen Tom Kinsley and Dan French favor outlawing the outdoor furnaces.
"People don't realize what a nuisance they are," Kinsley said mentioning several towns, including Kingsbury in Washington County, that have banned the furnaces.
"You don't want to take property rights from people and you want to protect their investment," French said of the law's permitting process for existing furnaces.
Stiegler, Beekman Supervisor John Adams and Councilwoman Barbara Zulauf are undecided on how much regulation is needed.
"It's an affordable means of heating for some people," Zulauf said.
John Davis can be reached at [email protected]
