“To be clear, the article will NOT impact the rights of any homeowner to use any power equipment on their own property at any time.  The goal is to limit the commercial use (meaning operated by commercial landscapers) of leaf blowers which have such significant health impacts both through noise and the harmful emissions and particulate matter they spew.  You may be aware that several hundred cities and towns throughout the U.S. have already banned gas powered leaf blowers for health reasons.  The whole state of Hawaii and nation of Israel have bans.  Locally, we can look to Newton, Cambridge, and Brookline.  Each of these communities has taken a different approach to limiting leaf blowers.  I think it is also significant that the State of Massachusetts has a law that limits noise, for health reasons, at considerably lower decibels than leaf blowers create.  Unfortunately for neighborhoods and for the operators of the blowers themselves,  landscaping equipment is exempted.  There exist many studies on the harmful impacts of noise, toxic emissions, allergens, and more from gas powered leaf blowers.”

Items on the town warrant will be addressed at Town Meeting, which starts March 26.

This isn’t the first time a Wellesley resident has stepped forward to do something about leaf blower use in town. Back in 2009, a bylaw went into affect to address when commercial outfits could employ noisy equipment in town.

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Not that you needed us to tell you that.

RELATED: Where to sled in Wellesley

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Separately, rinks have started to rise along the Brook path in residents’ yards (took pictures last week…rinks might have ice or slush by now?).

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In addition to knocking out power in some parts of Wellesley, the October snowstorm took down this tree as well at the Lilac Circle/Ivy Road area (thanks to Len Ho for sending in this photo).

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Wellesley’s Fuller Brook Park Coordinating Committee, which is working with the town’s Natural Resources Commission on the multi-year Fuller Brook Park Improvement Project, might be calling on some real live goats to help with the job in years to come.

The park project, for which the committee will seek funding approval at next month’s Town Meeting, addresses 3 issues: a deteriorating and hodgepodge path (map of park here), the stream quality and invasive vegetation.

It’s the vegetation part where goats could come in handy, according to Janet Hartke Bowser, director of the town’s Natural Resources Commission, who has been doing the rounds at various town boards and committees to apprise them of the latest plans and funding details. She says goats could help rid the park of invasives like Japanese Knotweed and poison ivy.

Bringing in goats is just an idea being kicked around, not a done deal by far.. But the chemical-free approach is one that has worked in other communities, including Portland, Ore., and Boise, Idaho. Outfits such as Eco-Goats have popped up to serve this growing need for grazers.

If you haven’t been on the path in recent weeks, take note that DPW vehicles are tearing up a couple of sections between the State Street and Hunnewell Elementary School to put in sample path material that is hard when dry and softer when wet to see how it holds up, how plowable it is, etc.  (the sample I saw looked/felt kind of like concrete). Two different widths of path will be tested as well. The town plans to have volunteers man the paths at some point to survey users about how they like the materials, widths, etc.

(For more on the park project, check out a Globe report that sums up the latest on final design phase funding, a good chunk of which is expected to come via the Community Preservation Committee …additional funding for the actual construction phase will likely be cause for a debt exclusion that town residents will need to OK). Completion of the entire project could still be 5 years away.

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RELATED: Wellesley Trails Committee

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Details on daily maintenance and cost/funding remain to be firmed up. The Wellesley Recreation Department plans to set up the rink and the fire department has volunteered to keep it filled with water/ice.

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Pond Road has also been closed due to downed power lines.

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The Wellesley Recreation Department sent along these pictures from last Thursday night’s showing of “Finding Nemo” on the beach under a full moon and nice weather. The department reports that 250 people showed for the movie and s’mores, and that the success of the event means the department will do something similar next year.

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