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Rye Brook extends Blind Brook Golf Club exemption for gas-powered tow-behind blowers for one year
Summary
The Rye Brook Board of Trustees approved a one-year extension of an exemption to the village's seasonal gas-powered leaf blower ban for Blind Brook Golf Club, citing lack of an electric tow-behind alternative and the club's investment in battery backpack units.
The Rye Brook Board of Trustees voted Jan. 28 to grant a one-year extension to the Blind Brook Golf Club’s exemption from the village’s seasonal gas-powered leaf blower ban, maintaining the prior conditions and setting the new expiration date at Oct. 1, 2025.
Michael Ford, golf course superintendent at the Blind Brook Club, told trustees the club complied with the Village’s seasonal ban on handheld gas blowers by switching to battery-powered backpack blowers for small surfaces (tees, greens and approaches) but said no manufacturer currently makes a compatible electric tow-behind blower for the club’s larger fairway surfaces. "No manufacturer makes a compatible electric powered, tow behind, leaf blower," Ford said. He added the club doubled its backpack inventory in December and now has "15 leaf blowers" for the smaller areas but still needs the tow-behind machine for fairways.
Bob Gallagher, the club’s general manager, said the club "really are compliant with the new regulation in all areas other than the mass acreage that we have on the golf course," and described the tow-behind blower as necessary to maintain fairways after rain events.
Why it matters: Rye Brook’s local law (adopted April 11, 2023) bans gas-powered leaf blowers from May 1 through Sept. 30; properties of at least five acres can apply for a full or partial exemption. The Blind Brook Club received a one-year exemption that expired Oct. 1, 2024, and sought another after demonstrating operational limits with battery equipment for large-scale fairway maintenance.
Board action and conditions: Trustees moved and seconded the extension and specified the exemption would remain under the same conditions as the prior year (e.g., restrictions near residents’ homes). Trustee votes were recorded as follows: Trustee Epstein — Yes; Trustee Fisher — Yes; Trustee Heiser — Yes; Trustee Marlino — Yes; Mayor — Yes. The motion passed unanimously.
Trustee discussion: Some trustees said they were inclined to consider a longer exemption period because the technology for electric tow-behind equipment may not be available soon; one trustee favored year-by-year review to keep pressure on manufacturers and preserve the village’s environmental goals.
Next steps: The exemption will expire Oct. 1, 2025. The club may reapply next year; trustees said they would monitor product availability and the club’s progress with battery equipment.
