Oyster Bay eyes gas-powered leaf blower limits

The use of gas-powered leaf blowers could be restricted in Oyster Bay to address problems with noise and air pollution, Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said Tuesday at the town board meeting. 

“We’re going to do something about this,” Saladino said. “You will clearly see changes to our code in a way that suits the needs of all.”

Saladino said he has reached out to Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano for information about that city’s ordinance which prohibits the use of gas-powered leaf blowers from June 1 to Sept. 30. 

Planning and Development Commissioner Elizabeth Maccarone said the gas-powered leaf blowers, as opposed to quieter and lower-powered electric blowers, cause problems for residents. 

“When you drive around you see the dust ball, the dirt, the fertilizer and all that is being thrown up into the air and the children are outside playing, people are trying use their back yards,” Maccarone said. “It’s the noise, it’s what being thrown up into the atmosphere.”

Plainview resident Greg Siragusa told the board on Tuesday that he’s concerned about the health and quality of life impact from “the invasion of leaf blowers into my neighborhood.”