Marblehead Gas Leaf Blower Ban Expansion Blocked At Town Meeting

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The annual gas-powered leaf blower ban battle in Marblehead was put on hold this week as town meeting members voted to indefinitely suspend three articles that would have made what is currently a summer ban into a year-round ban, removed exceptions to the current bylaw and increased fines for violations.

The ban had failed town meeting votes for the better part of a decade before passing from Memorial Day to Labor Day two years ago with enforcement mechanisms added last year.

(Also on Patch: Marblehead Becomes Latest MA Town To Reject State Zoning Law Mandate)

But gas-powered leaf ban opponents said more needs to be done — including the complete ban — in the name of public health, noise and air pollution, and quality-of-life issues.

"The summer ban does not go far enough at all," said Sabrina Velandry, who co-sponsored the articles, adding that for many the sound of the leaf blowers is akin to "a torture device."

But those who spoke in favor of postponement said that contractors and homeowners already made concessions in allowing the summer ban, and that they hope the vote to suspend the expansion of the ban will settle the issue once and for all.

The vote to postpone the year-round ban article was 345 in favor to 162 opposed, while the vote to suspend the article that would eliminate exceptions to the ban was 355 in favor of suspension to 137, and the vote to suspend the article that would have imposed a $300 fine after a first warning — the current enforcement includes escalating fines — was 286 in favor of suspension to 204 opposed.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)