Hampden council passes boiler ordinance

HAMPDEN – Plumes of smoke will not be rising from outdoor wood-fired boilers in town this summer.

The Town Council passed an ordinance during Monday night’s meeting that will regulate the boilers and ban their use between May 1 and Oct. 1. In addition to the ordinance that will require a boiler-owner to obtain an annual license, the council also passed an amendment to the fire prevention code, requiring new users to receive a permit.

“Just by banning these [boilers] for those months will allow us to again enjoy the out of doors,” resident Bob Frank said after the meeting. Frank lives on Marion Drive and has a neighbor to his north who uses a wood-fired boiler. The black smoke from the boiler has been an issue for a few years and is a health hazard, Frank said.

But some boiler owners present said there are certain locations in town, particularly the more rural areas, where boilers do not bother neighbors.

“I check with my neighbors quite regularly and I’ve never had a problem,” resident boiler-owner Stan Hope said.

The outdoor wood-fired boiler ordinance will not only limit the months of operation, but it will require each owner to obtain an annual license and prohibit the burning of any material other than firewood and untreated lumber. The boilers will be allowed on all properties, except for those within the Resource Protection District zoning areas, but must be on lots that are at least 3 acres in size. They also must be at least 150 feet from the nearest lot line, and sit back at least 200 feet from any neighboring residences.

The council did not implement a minimum smokestack height requirement, nor did it require a fee for permitting and licensing the units. Boilers that exist currently will be “grandfathered” and allowed under the ordinance, but will be subject to the annual licensing and penalty process if problems arise.

The outdoor wood boilers are wood-fired furnaces that heat water that then is used in a home’s heating or plumbing system. The units have been the center of controversy for months because the Environmental Protection Agency and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection do not have official regulations in place.

“There has been a tremendous amount of irresponsibility on the part of manufacturers,” said resident Phil Dougherty, who is the sales and marketing manager of Adobe Boiler. “I stopped representing a company that I thought wasn’t doing the right thing.”

Many in the meeting blamed the manufacturers for designing and selling a product that does not burn as cleanly or efficiently as it could.

Also at the meeting, two Hampden Academy seniors, Courtney Reeves and Juliana Aurie, asked the council to help fund an outside graduation. Past graduation ceremonies indoors have been cramped and the outdoor graduation on the turf field would allow all friends and relatives to attend, Reeves said.

SAD 22 board of directors agreed to allow an outdoor ceremony, as long as the seniors raised the funds – more than $7,000.

“I have huge concerns about the kids raising $6,000 for their own graduation,” Councilor Shannon Cox said. The seniors already have raised $1,000 through school activities, and have plans for a road race, dinner, dance and golf tournament.

In the end, councilors agreed to match every dollar the graduating class raises, up to $3,000. Mayor Rick Briggs said the town office also will be accepting private donations from residents and businesses who would like to contribute, which would then be matched by town funds.