Regulation, Wood Burning Units.

I'm a day late but wonder what came out of the meeting. We shall see.

"11/14/2008 2:15:00 PM Email this article • Print this article
Health board to hold public hearing on outdoor wood burning units
Regs would restrict location of wood-fired furnaces" Health board to hold public hearing on outdoor wood burning units

Richard Moore
Investigative Reporter
The Oneida County Board of Health will hold a hearing next week to take public input on the proposed regulation of outdoor wood-fired furnaces.

The hearing will take place Monday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m. in the second-floor boardroom of the Oneida County Courthouse in Rhinelander.

The board of health had already advanced the proposed regulations to the county board for approval, but supervisors thought the matter was of sufficient magnitude to order a public hearing.

Why the regulation is needed

The ordinance has been drafted, Oneida County Health Department director Linda Conlon said this past summer, because outdoor wood-fired furnaces can pose a serious health hazard, particularly in residential areas.

No consensus

Not everybody is on board with the proposed regulations.

Many county supervisors say they have received a lot of calls from people opposing the regulations, which in part prompted the demand for a public hearing.

Zoning committee chairman Scott Holewinski has been skeptical of the regulations. This past year he referred to the whole issue as a "can of worms."

"This sounds good, but what about the people who use firewood because they can't afford gas?" he asked. "Now you're going to tell them they can't have this, which is what is going to happen. It's just like anything else. How much do we want to regulate?"

Where's the windmills? That would look nice in Minocqua.