Ridgefield Leaf Blower Proposal Draws Sharp Debate Ahead Of Sept. 16 Town Meeting

RIDGEFIELD, CT — A proposed restriction on gas-powered leaf blowers drew sharply divided testimony Wednesday as Ridgefield residents, landscapers and environmental advocates debated noise and health concerns against costs, enforcement and property rights.

The Sept. 2 public hearing also covered a new town administrator position, changes to Ridgefield's senior tax programs, two proposed alternate seats on the Pension Commission, the sale of town-owned property at and acceptance of property at .

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The leaf blower proposal generated the most hubbub.

Under the draft ordinance, gas-powered leaf blowers would generally be permitted from Labor Day through Memorial Day, during specified hours, while electric blowers could be used year-round. Gas-powered blowers could also be used outside the permitted season when operated at least 1,000 feet from every property boundary.

The proposal would limit gas-powered blower use to 30 minutes per acre of property per day and provide exemptions for emergencies, storm cleanup, utilities, active farms and golf course maintenance. Violations would begin with a written warning, followed by a $250 fine for a second violation within 12 months and $500 for subsequent violations during that period. The draft calls for the ordinance to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

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Speakers supporting restrictions cited noise, air pollution, environmental concerns and the effect of prolonged blower use on residents and workers.

Alan Hershkowitz, a Ridgefield resident who identified himself as an environmental scientist, supported year-round limits and argued that excluding spring and fall would leave the periods of greatest blower use less regulated.

"A seasonal exemption would reverse the purpose of the ordinance," Hershkowitz said.

Vincent Giordano, who served on Ridgefield's leaf blower committee, threw in with the board's general approach but recommended changes to make the proposed ordinance more clear, including its definitions of the seasonal restriction and the 1,000-foot exception.

Opponents questioned the need for a new ordinance, its enforceability, and the financial burden on residents and landscaping businesses.

North Salem Road resident Phil Delgiudice, "a homeowner who's been blowing leaves here for 30 years," favors no ordinance whatsoever.

"This feels like government overreach to me," Delgiudice said.

The owner of Green Way Landscaping in Ridgefield told the board that replacing gas equipment would require a substantial investment and could force her to raise prices. She also questioned whether battery-powered equipment could complete spring cleanups efficiently and why golf courses would be exempt.

North Street resident Steve Alderman, who said he has practiced radiation oncology for over 50 years, cited population studies from US Health Department of Health and Human Services, the EPA, the California EPA and the World Health Organization he said foretold a grim future for municipalities that did not rein in carbon emissions from leaf blowers.

He warned the board that the volume of emissions released during one hour of using gas-powered leaf blowers is equal to 1100 miles of automotive emissions.

"The Howard School of Public Health has told us in the study it's concluded that once these emissions are aerosolized, there's nothing we can do to protect ourselves," Alderman said. "You can't mask, you can't do anything."

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Nick Palazzo, owner of Palazzo Lanscaping, agreed with "the environmental concerns. The safety, the breathing, all of that stinks. Run the gas powered blower for eight hours in October, November. It sucks. I get that," he told the board. But he argued the current anemic state of electric blower tech meant, "We don't have a choice."

But it's not as if those batteries aren't themselves a big part of the environmental angst...

"So 400 some-odd landscapers with generators on the back of their trucks charging dozens of these batteries makes no sense versus a conventional gas-powered green blower," one resident said, after doing the lithium and heavy metals mining math for the board.

Other residents questioned the proposed 30-minute-per-acre restriction, the 1,000-foot setback and the escalating fines.

Several speakers also objected to using police, zoning personnel or other town officials to enforce the ordinance. One resident called for the proposal to be rewritten and put "on pause," arguing that its limits would be impractical on smaller lots.

Richard Steinhardt, a Country Club Road resident, questioned the exemption for golf courses, particularly because Ridgefield has a private course whose surrounding neighbors could still be exposed to blower noise.

"If you exempt the golf courses in town, you effectively exempted me and my neighbors from enjoying whatever kind of ordinance we come up with," Steinhardt said. "I've called the police multiple times because the country club that I live next to doesn't seem to believe in keeping with the ordinance that exists now. So if you exempt them, it'll be even worse."

The issue is scheduled to move to a town meeting Sept. 16 at East Ridge Middle School, Marconi said.