Letters to the Editor

States begin to address leaf blower noise

To the editor,

At last, one of my pet peeves is being addressed in states and cities across the country, namely the noise pollution and air pollution caused by gas-powered leaf blowers. To begin with, the state of California is proposing to ban the use of these machines; hundreds of cities in the country have passed laws and regulations addressing the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.

In a recent article in the New York Times, Margaret Renkl pointed out the dangers posed by these infernal machines: a leaf blower can spew more pollution than a Ford 150 Raptor. In addition, the noise from these machines can be as loud as a plane taking off. And, with swarms of people wielding these machines, it can seem like an invasion of monsters from an alien planet.

This is not to mention the dangers posed to the people themselves who are using these machines: asthma from the dust, damage to hearing, and damage from inhaling gas fumes.

Now there are obvious solutions: Many companies are making electric tools for yard work: leaf blowers, trimmers, lawnmowers and even snow blowers.

So, it is time for the town of Kennebunk, and the state of Maine, to begin to pass regulations and laws governing the use of leaf blowers and to phase out their use completely in a set period of time. Preferably the sooner the better.

Bevan Davies
Kennebunk

Frightening time for school boards

To the editor,

It is a frightening time for school boards across the country as we witness repeated incidents involving aggressive, threatening and uncivil behavior towards our nation’s school board members. Sadly, based on recent incidents we have experienced locally, it does not feel out of the question for this national trend to work its way into our RSU 21 community.

Being a school board member is an immensely exhausting, thankless and stressful commitment. Having served on several board committees, I can attest to the incredible dedication of our board members, who, unlike many others nationwide, receive no stipends or payment for their time (for quantification, I have seen board members routinely donate upwards of 20 hours a week).

There have been board votes I supported and some I have not. But by and large it has been our great fortune as a community to attract the highest caliber board member — those who serve with a strong moral compass; lead with logic and reason over personal grievance, ideology, or emotion; and act with the best intentions for our students and staff.

I find recent trends locally to disparage and even recall current RSU 21 board members alarming. I ask our community to resist the angry agendas of nationalized ideologues and appreciate how lucky we are to have a board comprised of thoughtful, fact-based and incredibly hard working civic volunteers.

Please join me in advocating, upholding and sustaining the highest degree of respect and civility when it comes to school board engagement.