FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A Fort Collins resident says he wants the city to find a better way to use leaf blowers around people enjoying City Park.
Peter Schultz says he regularly visits the park as part of his morning routine. He walks his dog around the lake, where he says he often sees friends and other people enjoying the park.
But recently, Schultz says he saw city crews using mechanical blowers near park visitors.
“I have a friend who's sitting over here on this bench,” Schultz said. “Right in his face, this huge cloud of dust.”
Schultz says he is not opposed to routine maintenance or using blowers. His concern is using the equipment while the park is busy.
Watch the Full Story Here
“I’m not against the blowers,” Schultz said. “I’m just against the blowers being used when the park is very occupied.”
Schultz also says he has breathing issues and asthma. He says he sometimes pulls his shirt over his face when crews approach with a blower.
“When I see them coming with a blower, I take my T-shirt, and I pull it up over my face,” he said.
Schultz contacted the city about his concerns. He says the city responded Aug. 24 and told him the situation he described would not happen again.
He says he later saw park employees using blowers again while the park was busy.
That prompted another question: Does the city have guidelines for when and how employees can use mechanical blowers around the public?
The city says it does.
The Parks & Recreation Department follows the City of Fort Collins' Dust Prevention and Control Manual. Section 3.12 addresses the use of mechanical blowers in and around the public.
The city also says it is reinforcing training with Parks staff on the proper timing and procedures for using mechanical blowers.
Part of that training includes finding times when fewer people are in the parks, while also following the city's noise ordinance, which limits when blowers can be used earlier in the day.
The city apologized for the incident Schultz described and said the Parks & Recreation management team shared the concern with staff and reiterated best practices for using mechanical blowers.
For Schultz, the issue comes down to balancing keeping the park clean with allowing people to enjoy it.
“My questions to the city would be, why can't we just come to an agreement that honors the spirit of the law of the fugitive dust ordinance, and we can all enjoy the park peaceably,” Schultz said.
He says he hopes the city's efforts lead to fewer dust clouds around people using the park.
