By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

While the town of Salina has not yet made a decision on whether to allow fire pits and bonfires, a similar debate has ignited in one of Salina’s neighboring municipalities: the village of North Syracuse.

The North Syracuse Village Board of Trustees discussed the issue at its Aug. 13 meeting. Mayor Gary Butterfield said a resident contacted him to complain about their neighbors’ fire pit.

Codes Enforcement Officer Brian Johnstone said the village’s code does not contain language specific to fire pits. He said the village follows New York State and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation guidelines. The state code, Johnstone said, governs where residents can set up bonfires or fire pits, and the DEC governs what people can burn.

Butterfield said he did not think the fire pit about which he has received complaints is in violation of state or DEC regulations.

Pat Brennan, chief of the North Syracuse Fire Department, said the department has responded to a number of open burn complaints.

“We do go on a awful lot of open burn complaints but most people are very responsible and they’re recreational pits,” Brennan said. “I don’t think it’d be in the best interest of the village board and the residents of the village to change or adopt something that’s more restrictive especially in the COVID age that we’re living in right now. We’re asking people to stay home.”

Brennan said most of these complaints turn out to be small backyard cookouts that are not in violation of state regulations.

“The bottom line is if they have a garden hose there, if it’s supervised and when they’re done, they put the fire out … most of the time it’s in the back of the property. Some people are having s’mores, some people cook off of it,” he said. “But what we do find and what we do stop is illegal burns.”

Illegal burns, Brennan explained, are when people burn garbage, construction debris or brush.

According to two residents who commented on the meeting’s Facebook Live stream, the neighbors aren’t just toasting marshmallows.

“I wish I had more of a heads up so I could have shown up to let you know how bad it can get. They burn wet, old wood that produces vast amounts of thick smoke and they burn all night long. I hope you never have the bad luck to live next to someone who does this next to your house,” Patrick Maloney wrote.

“They live directly next door to us. They burn remnants of construction projects and old wet wood. It smolders all night and day. So no it isn’t just like s’mores or cooking out,” Julie Maloney wrote.

South Bay crosswalk approved

Also at the Aug. 13 meeting, the village board approved the creation of a crosswalk across South Bay Road at the intersection of Maxwell Avenue and Grove Street.

Resident David Robinson spoke at the public hearing preceding the vote.

“I am fully in favor of the crosswalk going across South Bay Road. However, I’m concerned about safety and I’ve got a couple of issues,” Robinson said. “The first issue would be putting up signage that would warn people. Something like [the signage] on this side of the village would be most appropriate.”

Robinson said the village should also work to enforce traffic issues in the area, including drivers who often pass on the right and those who use Grove Street as a shortcut despite the village code prohibiting through traffic on Grove.

“I don’t know why there has not been an accident there particularly on the Maxwell side,” Robinson said of drivers who pass on the right.

“I agree with Dave. It’s a difficult intersection,” Mayor Butterfield said.

Deputy Mayor Pat Gustafson said about 80% of respondents on the village’s website poll are in favor of the crosswalk.

Trustee Chris Strong agreed with the need for a sign or signal alerting drivers to the crosswalk but said a sign in the middle of the five-way intersection would be a poor decision. However, traffic code regulates what kind of signage is needed, Department of Public Works Superintendent Ed Ware said.

“I believe the code is that if it’s not a signalized intersection you need the sign,” said Ware.