• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Wellesley Square
  • Private schools
  • Camp
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Athlete of the Week
  • Seniors
  • Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend
Needham Bank, Wellesley

Another view of Wellesley leaf blower petition

February 15, 2012 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

We wrote recently about the citizen’s petition “to restrict the commercial use of gasoline powered, motorized portable machines that blow leaves, dirt and other debris off sidewalks, driveways, lawns or other horizontal surfaces…” The resident behind the petition stressed to us that this is not intended to impact how homeowners use their equipment. The petition formally will be taken up at Town Meeting in late March.

Our post elicited a response from Tim Ganley, a 20-year Wellesley homeowner and resident, who spoke out about the petition last week at the Advisory Committee meeting. Ganley says he has no personal or professional involvement in the landscape or power equipment industry. The key points of his message to the committee:

“1. A leaf blower ban will have a huge financial impact on thousands of households that must be weighed
2. The public statements made about leaf blower emissions, pollution, and health risks instantly create a bias that they must be true, which causes undue concern.  The truth is that when put in the context of all the other emissions and pollution sources we accept as members of modern society leaf blowers are a tiny contributor.
3.  A lengthy debate will likely develop in Wellesley.  It took Cambridge 18 months to author a proposal.  I urge advisory to recommend no action at this year’s town meeting.”

Ganley added in an email to us some elaboration on this first point above: “There will be a huge financial impact to every homeowner who uses a landscape service. For example a typical 15,000 to 20,000 square foot property should expect a 2X to 3X increase in fall and spring cleanup costs which will typically be an additional $500 to $1,500.  Assuming there are approximately 7,000 single family homes in Wellesley and that half of them use a landscape service, this amounts to approximately a $4 million dollar yearly excise tax for the privilege of using a maintenance service.”

Finally, Ganley says he is looking for a healthy public discussion of the issue and suggests it would be best to push any petition off until 2013 Town Meeting.

All: Feel free to chime in via our comments section below…

print

Share

Filed Under: Business, Outdoors, Politics

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley
Riverbend School

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Edge on Science
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cachet, Wellesley
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Wellesley (and beyond) summer camp listings—sign up now
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend—2022 schedule
  • Wellesley Business Buzz: Bach to Rock; Papa Wheelies Grand Opening; Lululemon coming to Central St.; StretchMed under new ownership; Roosters makes move within Linden Square
  • 54th Annual Wellesley Veterans' Parade honorees
  • POPS senior profile: Timothy Bonis impresses with musical aptitude 

Upcoming Events

May 26
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Lecture – The Modern Classics of Musical Theater: Les Miserables

May 26
6:15 pm - 8:15 pm

Battle of the Badges charity softball game pits Wellesley Fire vs. Police

May 30
7:30 pm

Memorial Day ceremony

Jun 4
9:00 am - 10:00 am

Carisbrooke Walk 

Jun 4
10:00 am - 11:30 am

“Rules of the Ride” cycling event

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • Aliana on Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend Veterans Parade a combo of somber & celebratory
  • Stephanie Hawkinson on Show & tell: The Skolnicks share story of selling landmark E.A. Davis department store
  • Linda Tighe on Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend heats up
  • Ruth Kleinfeld on Show & tell: The Skolnicks share story of selling landmark E.A. Davis department store
  • Bob Brown on Wellesley, football world mourn death of longtime Patriots star Gino Cappelletti

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • Animals (413)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (576)
  • Beyond Wellesley (45)
  • Books (364)
  • Business (1,494)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (48)
  • Churches (79)
  • Clubs (227)
  • Construction (291)
  • Dump (127)
  • Education (3,085)
    • Babson College (250)
    • Bates Elementary School (16)
    • Dana Hall School (33)
    • Fiske Elementary School (9)
    • Hardy Elementary School (42)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (40)
    • MassBay (55)
    • Schofield Elementary School (24)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (34)
    • Wellesley College (608)
    • Wellesley High School (945)
    • Wellesley Middle School (201)
  • Embracing diversity (69)
  • Entertainment (782)
  • Environment (743)
  • Fashion (141)
  • Finance (14)
  • Fire (159)
  • Food (341)
  • Fundraising (608)
  • Gardens (156)
  • Government (550)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (14)
  • Health (843)
    • COVID-19 (198)
  • Hikes (2)
  • History (386)
  • Holidays (403)
  • Houses (152)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (844)
  • Law (7)
  • Legal notices (6)
  • Letters to the Editor (62)
  • Media (68)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (10)
  • Morses Pond (108)
  • Music (563)
  • Natick Report (29)
  • Neighbors (272)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (71)
  • Outdoors (637)
  • Parenting (62)
  • Police (754)
    • Crime (386)
  • Politics (551)
  • POPS Senior Profile (3)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (328)
  • Religion (131)
  • Restaurants (328)
  • Safety (149)
  • Scouts (1)
  • Seniors (120)
  • Shopping (141)
  • Sponsored (5)
  • Sports (976)
    • Athlete of the Week (6)
  • STEM (107)
  • Technology (164)
  • Theatre (392)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (226)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,229)
  • Volunteering (346)
  • Weather (177)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (276)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (19)
RSS Feed Icon Subscribe to RSS Feed

© 2022 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login