Neillsville City Council Discusses Fire Pits and Music at the Gazebo
Saturday, July 18th, 2020 -- 7:08 AM
-The Neillsville City Council discussed the city’s fire pit ordinance at their meeting on Tuesday.Neillsville Mayor Diane Murphy reported on receiving complaints on fire pits and she presented a copy of the City of Marshfield ordinance on Outdoor Fires. Fire Chief Matt Meyer stated that he has reviewed the Marshfield ordinance. He thinks the 36 inches in diameter is rather small and he suggested 48 inches in diameter and adding the wording “that all fires should be extinguished before being left unattended”. One alderman stated that Marshfield’s 30 feet to other objects is quite a distance and some of the city’s lots are small, so 20 feet was suggested. It was also asked if the Fire Department ever had a fire caused by a fire pit. Fire Chief Meyer replied “No”, most of the complaints involve smoke. Common sense would be if the wind is blowing smoke towards the neighbor you would put it out. Another alderman stated that some communities require fires be put out by certain times on weekdays and later on weekends. Discussion then followed on gas fire pits as gas fire pits can actually be set on decks and you don’t get sparks from a gas fire pit.
Finally, it was decided not to reinvent the whole ordinance, just add language to the current one. The city attorney stated she will draft an ordinance based on the discussion. Also, it was stated that a resident played patriotic music in the Gazebo during the Farmer’s Market on a Saturday near the 4th of July. She has now received another request. She would like to handle these requests without having to bring them to the Common Council each time. The city attorney stated that you have to be really careful, if you deny someone, you need a reason. An alderman asked if this is just limited to music? What if someone wants to protest or do a magician program? Another alderman stated the Gazebo is a community area and with a public place someone could just sit down and play music. In the end, it was decided that if it’s an event, then the council should grant permission, if not, it's someone in a public place.
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