Clarion Twp. Supervisors Reject Proposed Burn Ordinance Amid Pressure from Residents

clarion-townshipCLARION TWP., Pa. (EYT) – It’s back to the drawing board for the Clarion Township Supervisors in their efforts to enact an outdoor burn ordinance.

The supervisors voted against the ordinance they had advertised in November after several township residents came to the December 12 meeting to protest it.

The effort to enact the burn ordinance resulted from a dispute between neighbors where one was burning materials that were causing problems for another.

Supervisor Vice Chairman Frank Wilson said Tuesday morning in a phone interview that he hopes the problem just goes away.

“I don’t know what was being burned, but we can’t be involved in every dispute,” Wilson said. “I don’t know what will come of it, but we had a lot of residents upset that we were trying to have an ordinance.”

“I don’t know if anything will be done. We had a lot of reaction to it. All they (residents) had to hear was burn ordinance and they were upset. There was a copy of it faxed to one resident, but other than that, no one came in to see it.”

“Unless we tweak it or come up with something else, nothing may be done,” Wilson said.

“The ordinance will not be discussed at the January meeting, which will focus primarily on reorganization, but maybe in February, but I really don’t know.”

Wilson said the supervisors called the state Department of Environmental Protection, and they told them they couldn’t do anything about the problem.

The ordinance that was proposed would have banned burning garbage or other materials such as tires, vinyl, roofing, treated wood, and plastics.

It would have allowed barbecue grills, patio stoves, wood- and coal-burning fireplaces, and heating systems.

Nevertheless, it would have required a permit for campfires, bonfires, and burning brush; would have limited burning to just one weekend per month; and not allowing burning within 100 feet of structures.

With the ordinance voted down, the supervisors will either need to craft a new one or do nothing.


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