ReaderWire

On Los Trancos Subdivision:

Follow the leader

Regarding the Los Trancos Road Subdivision: I do not agree with the subdivision proposed by the applicant or recommended by staff. The location of the building sites would avoid the removal of some trees, but, would locate many of the homes in what is now an open meadow. Attempts to screen these homes would be made with introduced plantings, which would never fully screen the development nor appear as natural as the native vegetation. In contrast, the 8-Lot Clustered Variation Alternative, which is recommended by the Planning Commission and was determined in the Final EIR to be an environmentally superior alternative, presents a better design solution for the property. In this alternative, most of the homes would be screened by natural vegetation and the open grass land, for the most part, would be maintained. City Council, please follow the lead set by your Planning Commission, deny the applicant's and the staff-recommended proposal and accept only a project that achieves the level of clustering and screening by existing vegetation as in the 8-Lot Cluster Variation. Pam Leffler Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto On Leafblower Ban:

No place for leafblowers

Better late than never. It is high time to totally ban those noise polluting monstrosities, which lift disease carrying dried animal feces particles, herbicide and pesticide contaminated materials, dust, pollens and other hazardous substances into the air. A typical gasoline-powered leafblower operated for 15 minutes emits as much tailpipe pollution volatile organic compounds, particulates and carbon monoxide as a car driven for 25 miles. There is no place for tools like leafblowers in a civilized, environment friendly society. Palo Alto should follow the example of many cities across California and the nation that have completely banned their use. Daniel Cohen Lois Road, Palo Alto

Positive activity

Definitely, I am in favor of keeping the gas-powered leaf blowers. The extra time it would take to do it manually would price many of us out of the market to hire a gardener. The noise is one I frankly enjoy hearing as it gives me the sense of positive activity taking place . . . tidying the environment with the workers happily employed. As Menlo Park doesn't have a noise ordinance, I am amazed this is even being discussed. Surely, the few who are pushing this have failed to consider the overwhelming number who are very happy the way it is. "If it ain't broke don't fix it". Melba Rogers Sandhill Road, Menlo Park

It's the noise

I am strongly in favor of a leaf blower ban. I don't think setting decibel limits has worked in the past. My feeling is that many of the gardeners I see using them are self-employed and not likely to invest in any better equipment. To me, the issue is not so much the hours of operation. I haven't noticed them waking me up. What I hate is sitting at my dining room table on Saturday morning, my day to enjoy the hard-earned peace of my home, and my neighbor across the street having a crew that works Saturday morning roaring away with full decibels. Sylvia Gartner Moreno Avenue, Palo Alto

Attention all inventors

A gardener with a leaf blower and ear protection is around my place once or twice a week. It is the worst noise possible. I once lived on half an acre with many trees. We used a leaf sweeper with a catcher bag similar to a lawn mower and raked the rest. It worked fine. Hire an extra person if time is a problem. There are lots of people who could use the work. This is a solution until a better blower is invented. Isn't there someone in this technologically enlightened community that can invent a leaf blower that is quiet? I challenge someone to become a hero and do this. They will go down in history as more famous than Leonardo da Vinci. If blowers are banned, it will provide incentive to make a quieter one. Marjorie Hamlin Oak Creek Drive, Palo Alto

Try her room

On Thursday morning, I'm awakened by dual leaf blowers of the gardeners of the house on my right. On Tuesday, I'm awakened by the dual leaf blowers by the house on my left. Since the creek runs behind my house, I do not have a neighbor there; however, the apartment complex has several leaf blowers running for approximately 25-30 minutes on Wednesday morning. Am I in favor of banning leaf blowers? Yes. For everyone who decries this attitude, I suggest a week "sleeping" in my bedroom. Manufactures will never improve their product, (to have them make less noise), unless they think they will be completely banned. I'm willing to reconsider allowing them back when I can actually see and hear the new and improved quieter ones. Eloise Lanum Bay Laural Drive, Menlo Park

Pick up your rake

I am in favor of banning all blowers in residential areas. We have tried noise limits and mainly proved that they are unenforcable. In addition, noise limits do not address the way that blowers spread dust, pollen and debris around the neighborhood nor the particularly annoying quality of blower noise. The argument that this hurts gardeners is false. There will be more work for gardeners and they will charge accordingly. Raking is a simple and reasonable alternative. It "gathers" leaves instead of spreading them, and avoids the noise, dust and pollen impacts of blowers. Yes, it takes longer and costs more to rake leaves, but this merely places the burden of leaf gathering back on the the property owner where it belongs. Ken Poulton Los Robles Avenue, Palo Alto

Nuisance and pollution

I'd like to see leafblowers outlawed. The noise is a nuisance and the pollution is unforgivable. Shannon McEntee Sheridan Avenue, Palo Alto

Noise limits needed

Not many months ago I complained to a neighbor half a block away that on a Saturday morning at 8:45 I could hear her gardener's leaf blower through my Mack's ear plugs. The police department informed me that Saturday is treated the same as a weekday for noise control purposes (not that I want to hear leafblowers of that intensity on weekdays, either). Either my neighbor was cooperative or all her leaves had been collected, so the noise stopped. I think leaf blowers should be subject to a much more stringent noise limit and much more restricted hours of activity (the Sunday hours should apply all week). Alas, I have raked too many leaves to want an outright ban----but a total engineering redesign, yes. B. Meredith Burke Tennessee Lane, Palo Alto

Exchange program

Last fall, within the first few weeks after my baby was born, I was awakened early in the morning by a gardening service working across the street with a loud leaf blower. I talked to my neighbor, and they rescheduled their gardener to come at a more reasonable time. If this had happened with a different neighbor, instead of this very friendly and compassionate neighbor, I would have little recourse. I am also concerned about the pollution generated by the blowers. This comes in the form of exhaust, noise, debris, and contaminates that using a leaf blower causes. Please follow what other cities have done and ban them. Perhaps we could have a blower-for-rake exchange program. Geoffrey Nicholls Marion Avenue, Palo Alto

Blowers pose health risks

I fully support a ban on leaf blowers. As a former maintenance contractor and blower operator I am very aware of the costs of using such machines. They are harmful to both the operators and anyone who happens to be nearby. The noise and the exhaust fumes are both health risks. They raise dust and other debris that fouls the air. The process of fueling such machines inevitably results in some spillage of fuel. I feel that the operation of these machines detracts from the quality our lives and for what benefit? I bear the cost of interruptions in both my sleep and my work yet I receive no benefit at all. I feel that this is unfair. I believe that if a ban was in place that the contractors who use these machines would not suffer because they would all be equally affected. Their employees actually stand to gain from a ban because of the reduction in health risks. Many other communities have seen the sense in such a ban. It is a logical solution to a problem that is, to some degree, detrimental to us all. Kent Don Oxford Avenue, Palo Alto

Too high a cost

Leafblowers sure are convenient. When I was young I learned that conveniences invariably cost something. Leafblowers are costing us plenty. They cost us in quality of life, every time the peace is disturbed by a howling machine pushing air and dirt around. They cost us in smog. The two stroke engines used on most leafblowers pollute more than fifty modern cars. They cost us in health. The particle emissions from dust blown into the air increase allergic reactions and cause higher daily death rates. I think we've paid too much. I urge Council to place a blanket ban on leafblowers. Otmar Ebenhoech College Avenue, Palo Alto

I think leaf blowers should be banned from the face of the earth. They pollute, create ear splitting noise and are a nuisance to society. So what ever happened to raking or something more novel like leaving leafs be. I lived in Los Altos when they were banned and I never fully realized what a blessing that was until I moved to Palo Alto in 1992 and have had to contend with them since. I hated leaf blowers when I worked and had the opportunity to avoid most contact with them in my quiet office. However, when I became seriously ill a few years ago and was home bedridden for months at a time, the noise drove me to tears and caused me tremendous suffering while I was recovering from some major head surgeries. I have sympathy for the gardeners who make a living using leaf blowers and understand their livelihood is in jeopardy by the proposed ban but with all of the negative publicity regarding leaf blowers, why haven't they offered a solution/compromise that would have averted a complete ban. How about a voluntary limit on their use, or push to create a quieter, less polluting leaf blower? Why does it have to reach crisis level before there is action? That's my opinion----a goal to have a quieter, less polluting world. Mimi Roth San Antonio Road, Palo Alto

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