Outdoor Furnace Rules Pending

Cooler temperature earlier this week were a reminder of the punishing natural gas bills that are with us to stay.

Members of Emporium Borough Council are working their way through new regulations that would allow residents to heat their homes through outdoor furnaces, while lessening the health hazard or nuisance to neighbors.

Outdoor furnaces in place before the borough's regulations took effect several years ago may still be used due to a grandfather clause in the ordinance, but installation of new furnaces has been prohibited.

Council plans to lift the ban, replacing it with a new ordinance covering smokestack height, emissions filtering and inspections. Most outdoor furnaces burn wood or wood pellets, although some can also accommodate coal.

Borough Manager Rob Aversa said the new ordinance should be ready for Council action in the near future.

Council Vice President LuAnn Reed recommended that action be taken soon so residents who are being hit hard by utility bills will have an alternative.

In other business this week, Council:

--agreed to purchase about 1,000 feet of five-inch hose for the Emporium Volunteer Fire Department, pending a cost determination to dictate whether competitive bids must be solicited; Shippen, Portage and Lumber townships will also help with the expense.

--set Trick of Treat Night for Saturday, Oct. 28, and agreed to allow First Baptist Church to close Broad Street from Fifth to Fourth streets for its "Light the Night" program. --established Nov. 4 as Fall Cleanup Day. Residents can take items to the borough maintenance office for disposal. Borough workers will be available for pickups to help the elderly and handicapped.