Nov 7, 2017 10:25 AM

The East Hampton Village Board is considering going green—and quiet—by banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in summer.

Village Board member Arthur Graham said at a work session on Thursday, November 2, that he had been looking into ways to regulate gas-powered leaf blowers after receiving complaints from village residents about noise caused by landscape workers. He noted that string trimmers and hedge trimmers add to the loud, whirring disruption.

“Lawn mowers at least are a steady drone of noise,” he said. “It’s the variability of these other pieces of equipment that causes most people to express their displeasure.”

Mr. Graham also pointed out that battery-powered blowers do not produce fumes like those that emanate from gas-powered blowers. He said he had heard that some landscapers in St. Louis, Missouri, install solar panels on the roofs of their vans that charge leaf blowers’ batteries while they work.

For the unconvinced, Village Superintendent of Public Works Scott Fithian provided three examples of battery-powered leaf blowers at the meeting: two with a standard handheld design and a third with a larger battery attached to it like a backpack, which board member Barbara Borsack noted was reminiscent of the Proton Pack in the movie “Ghostbusters.”

Mr. Fithian said all three blowers give off a sound no louder than approximately 65 decibels. That’s quieter than a typical vacuum cleaner, and only slightly louder than an air conditioning unit operating 100 feet away. A gas-powered leaf blower can be anywhere from 90 to 115 decibels for the operator, which is closer to the noise level of a chainsaw.

“We can phase the electrical equipment in over a period of time to minimize the negative effects on the landscapers,” Mr. Graham said. “We don’t expect the landscapers to absorb all of the expense of this. One of the reasons why our village is so beautiful is because of the landscaping.”

The ban could apply to the summer season only, perhaps from Memorial Day to Labor Day, he said. Exceptions might be made for cleaning up an excess of fallen leaves after a storm or a large space like Herrick Park, Mr. Graham said, adding that battery-powered leaf blowers would serve the purpose of tidying up a residential yard.

“They’re perfectly adequate for the light cleanup that we usually find landscapers doing in the summertime,” he said.

Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said the board’s next job will be to get more information about specifics before drafting a resolution for a ban and setting a public hearing.

Mr. Graham added that he was eager to hear what landscapers and others have to say about the proposal.

“I would really like to know what their impressions are about this new electrical equipment,” he said. “I don’t want to have people say, ‘No, it’s terrible. Go away.’

“I want people to tell me, ‘No, it’s terrible for this reason and this is why it won’t work,’” he continued. “I want to know what the stakeholders say. I think that would make us able to make an informed opinion as to how we want to go ahead.”