City commission considering woodstove furnace ordinance

Members of the Onaway City Commission received a draft ordinance prepared by city attorney Mike Vogler, which would allow woodstove furnaces within the city limits, but with restrictions.

Earlier this month, city manager Joe Hefele recommended the banning of the devices and reiterated his thoughts at Monday?s meeting. He believes they were intended for use in a rural setting. He is concerned about smoke and aesthetics. ?One of my goals, and I believe yours as well,? Hefele said, in speaking to the commission, ?is to take steps to improve the town?s appearance.

?I feel this is a must of we expect moderate growth and economic stability in the future, and I?d like to think all of the things we do are done with this goal in mind.? The proposed ordinance would require the furnaces to be placed in back or side yards, regulate what can and can?t be burned, and require minimum and maximum chimney heights.

Hefele said he isn?t trying to eliminate people?s ability to install less-expensive heating sources, nor hurt businesses in the area that sell the stoves.

?My number one concern is doing what is in the best interest of the community as a whole, both in the short and long term,? said Hefele.

THE COMMISSION members say they would like the citizens to have the option and would prefer moving forward with restrictions on woodstoves rather than banning the furnaces outright.

?I think, if we regulate it, we don?t take away that option,? said mayor Gary Wregglesworth. Wregglesworth added that the woodstoves are not cost effective for everyone. ?If you have to buy your wood, they just don?t work,? said Wregglesworth. ?My dad burns 30 cords of wood a year. That?s $1,500 in wood. That?s the price of your gas and you?ll never get your investment back. If you are setting on 20 acres of woods in your backyard and you can cut wood that falls down, they work. ?For those to work you have to have a very large access to very cheap wood.?

Hefele said most people are responsible neighbors, but it only takes a few to create a bad situation. ?My goal is to create a town that responsible neighbors want to move into, not move out of, which is why I again would like to see an outright ban,? said Hefele. ?If you are not willing to do this, we must get something adopted.?

Commission members only received copies of the new draft ordinance at Monday?s meeting and will have a few weeks to look it over and possibly approve the restrictions in October.

IN OTHER business: ? The Onaway Bar is being sold and state law mandates local governing bodies approve the transfer of liquor and dance-entertainment licenses. The commission decided to allow the transfer to the new owners, who intend on changing the businesses name to Hard Rock Bar & Grill, Inc.

? A public hearing to consider an alley abandonment for Community of Christ Church was conducted with no objections. Representatives of the church were on hand to say the action would help future planning and increase parking. A motion was made and approved unanimously to abandon the alley, with the city retaining an easement.

? The city mileage rate, which is 31 cents, will be in line with the federal rate and adjusted quarterly. The current is 48 cents. An approved resolution eliminates the need for city staff to keep coming back to the commission every time the federal rate goes up or down.

? Debate over a future location for the Onaway Police Department seems to be subsiding. There has been talk about moving t

he OPD to the courthouse building, but some commission members have said they like the new location next to the old city hall building because of its visibility.

Former landlord Jerry Robinson, who has made improvements to the building that recently housed the OPD, made a proposal, but the board isn?t willing to take on the new lease payment with the city having less costly options at their disposal.

Hefele said with the OPD having more space than it needs, a future option to consider is to rent out the space at the front of the OPD building instead of selling the State Street building outright.

? The plow truck /grant/loan has been committed and the city should be able to put it out for bid relatively quickly.

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