News

Push for burning ban petition slow to gain support

By NATHAN BRUTTELL, Argus-Press Staff Writer

Saturday, July 26, 2008 11:12 PM EDT

OWOSSO - Despite a small turnout for the second week in a row, a group looking to ban open burning in Owosso is still hopeful changes will be made.

Four women met to discuss alternatives to the current open burning ordinance. The group met last Friday to discuss organizing a petition but little was accomplished because of the few numbers. This time the group was prepared.

Shelah Hockman, Lorraine Weckwert, Shelva Cebulski, and Lisa Stechschulte formed a plan to speak with others in the city and possibly organize a petition to put the burning controversy on the ballot for November.

“You have to begin somewhere,” Hockman said. “We're going to try to do something about the burning in our city.”

Weckwert said the small number at the meeting did not mean burning ordinance meant little to the city.

“We're hoping for larger numbers,” Weckwert said. “I think most people in Owosso want the burning to stop and will sign a petition.”

The meeting took place at 11 a.m. Friday, and Weckwert said that probably had something to do with the turnout. “That's our fault for scheduling it on Friday morning,” she said.

The deadline to present a petition to the city council is Aug. 18. The group against burning is aware of this and know their times is limited.

“To try to get (a petition) on the ballot might not be possible,” Stechshulte said. She also said the group was going to explore other options.

One of the options they discussed was presenting a proposed amendment to the current ordinance to the city council, backed by a great deal of people at the Aug. 4 meeting.

The proposed amendment would stop burning on Tuesdays and Thursdays because of students in classrooms. The amendment also suggested curbside pickup of leaves and brush be mandatory at least once a month.

Cebulski said enforcement was a key to stopping the burning. “Pretty much everyone in town who is burning is doing it illegally,” she said. “I don't think I've ever seen a cover or a screen on one of those barrels.”

Stechschulte said she wanted to emphasize the damage burning caused to one's health. “We have a worse cancer rate in Owosso than the rest of the country,” she said. “That is some scary stuff.”

Stechschulte was citing a 2001-04 study from the Center for Disease Control showed that Michigan had a higher cancer rate than the U.S. average and Shiawassee County had an even higher rate.

The study's incidence rates represented the number of cases per 100,000 population. Shiawassee had 511 cases per 100,000 population. A 2005 census put the population of Shiawassee County at about 73,000. That estimate comes out to 373 cases in the county.

Weckwert said the group's proposal did not exclude recreational burning. “A little fire if you want to roast hot dogs or marshmallows is fine,” she said. “That is not our objection.”

All four members of the group remained optimistic that a change could be made to the burning ordinance, even if a proposal wasn't put on the November ballot.

“This is a big problem,” Stechschulte said. “This isn't just going to go away.”

Comment on this Story

Becky wrote on Mar 7, 2009 6:46 AM:

" I just want to comment on how hard it is to even find the City Code on Burning, so how are we supposed to follow the rules if we are unable to read its contents. This whole burning ban seems to just be another way for government to show their power and others to complain. People have been burning (camp fires, leaves, brush) before any of us where around, it is rediculous to put a ban on entertainment that costs so little and occupies so many. We wonder why our teens are in trouble, the small things that slightly entertaining are being taken away. I know i grew up sitting around a camp fire and i hate to see it be taken away. "

Leeann Bradley wrote on Aug 9, 2008 3:31 AM:

" Obviously you never experienced campfires or the spiritual fall burning of the leaves as a child-it is way too expensive for most of us anymore to drive many miles north and pay for a campsite just to have a fire-and the relaxation benefits of watching the flames are proven by science....If your neighbors invited you would you still be offended? Fire is a necessity from day one of our civilization..It is used to heat, cook, entertain, and manufacture most everything in your home-since you obviously have the money to go elsewhere or close the windows and turn on the A/C, leave us alone.....I work long hours and have no extra money for entertainment because I live in a poor county, and the value of my home went down because of foreclosures so I can't afford to sell and move-so leave me and my neighbors alone and let us have our small entertainment in trade for losing so many other things we can't enjoy..... "

Karen wrote on Jul 27, 2008 7:13 PM:

" My neighbors have a wood campfire in the evenings and the smoke and smell hang in the air for hours afterwards. I have to keep my windows closed to keep it from coming into the house. For those who are allergic or sensitive to it, please keep up the efforts to stop outside burning. "