(Spirit Lake)– Controversy over outdoor woodburning home heating systems again flared Tuesday evening as the Spirit Lake city council held the third and final reading of an ordinance banning the devices from residential areas of town, but still allowing them in areas zoned commercial, agricultural and industrial.
Sounding off on the issue for the first time was Fire Chief David Kollasch, who told the council the devices are safer than many indoor woodburning devices…(click here for comment.) “I hate to put this in a prospective where you have to cut someone out of their savings to heat their house. It’s a safety thing. Like I say, it’s outside, it’s by itself. It’s not hurting anybody. The only thing is the smoke.”
Councilman Kevin Bice defended the ordinance, citing the health-related concerns over smoke. He added that now is the time to regulate the devices before they become more common…(click here for comment.) “Another thing, we have one issue where we have large lots where this is present. If we allow, in my opinion, I’m not talking for the whole council, if we allow these to go through the other parts of the city where the lots are smaller, the houses are closer together, what do you think the outcome would be there?”
Councilman Clyde Ihrke, who’s on the other side of the issue, again expressed his concern…(click here for comment.) “There’s still smoke coming from an indoor woodburning fireplace. If we get one nuisance ordinance on that does that mean we’re going to cancel them and drop them?”
Following some further discussion, the council voted 4-1 to approve the final reading and adopt the ordinance. Ihrke cast the lone no vote.
