SOUTH PORTLAND – Nearly six months after first hearing from residents of Willard Street and the surrounding neighborhood regarding a trash burning nuisance complaint, the South Portland City Council has decided that “no current hazard exists.”

In a 4-0 vote Monday, with newly elected councilors Brad Fox and Claude Morgan abstaining and Councilor Melissa Linscott absent, the city’s governing body ended the debate about whether Mary Giggey, who owns the home at 29 Willard St., was causing a public nuisance by reportedly burning trash in her fireplace.

Ann Thomas, who lives at 45 Willard St., spearheaded the effort to get the trash-burning issue before the City Council. In a petition given to the council this past summer, she said the burning of trash by Giggey “releases noxious fumes causing the air quality in our neighborhood to be a major health hazard.”

During an August public hearing before the council, Giggey categorically denied burning trash in her fireplace, but Thomas said the burning of trash had caused her to be ill on numerous occasions and made her feel trapped in her own home.

On Monday Thomas told the council she did not want all the publicity and bad feeling the nuisance complaint caused, but also said the trash burning has been an “ongoing problem for the last seven years.”

She added, “Since the August meeting, the burning has desisted, and it’s made a huge difference in the neighborhood. I am happy that the burning has stopped at this point. Of course (Giggey) stopped once she was under the microscope, but I am concerned the burning will resume once the dust has settled.”

Giggey attended the Dec. 15 meeting, but did not speak other than to ask that she receive a copy of the various complaints made to various city departments by Thomas and others.

Councilor Tom Blake made the motion to find that no hazard now exists and said he felt it was “the correct action” for the city to take. Councilor Patti Smith agreed and said, “Let’s close the book on this.”

– Kate Irish Collins