Orleans officials consider balloon ban

ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE BELOW, ORLEANS IS MERELY ADDING A BY-LAW TO CONFIRM WITH THE STATE STATUTE.

OTHER COMMUNITIES SHOULD DO SO AS WELL TO REDUCE THE TRASH THAT ENDS UP IN UNPREDICTABLE PLACES, SOMETIMES CAUSING FIRES OR OTHER PROBLEMS. 

Bristol Borough passes ordinance banning the outdoor release of Mylar balloons and sky lanterns

BRISTOL BOROUGH >> If you’re thinking about releasing helium-filled Mylar balloons to mark that special occasion or sending sky lanterns towards the heavens in memory of a loved one, you better think twice.

“We had an incident last year where we found one on the roof of Selecto,” said Slack of a grocery store on Pond Street. “It’s banned in 20 states because of the hazard. The only states on the East Coast that haven’t banned them are Vermont, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky.”

Anyone who violates the new law faces a fine of up to $500 plus costs and in default of the payment a term of imprisonment not to exceed 90 days.

http://www.buckslocalnews.com/news/bristol_area/bristol-borough-passes-ordinance-banning-the-outdoor-release-of-mylar/article_f12b1fd6-7ce0-5689-932f-47822a042e37.html

Orleans officials consider balloon ban

By Ethan Genter
Posted Jan 3, 2019

ORLEANS — A balloon ban could be aired out at town meeting in the spring.

The Board of Selectmen voted Wednesday night to set a public hearing for a proposed bylaw that would ban “lighter-than-air gas” balloons in the town.

A draft of a general bylaw was sent to the board by the Conservation Commission, which has been studying recent bans passed in Chatham and Nantucket.

The intent is to address the concerns about the dangers posed to wildlife by the release and improper disposal of balloons, according to the draft bylaw. Sea turtles and other sea life are particularly susceptible to ingesting the balloons, which they sometimes mistake for food.

As it’s currently written, the bylaw would go into effective on Sept. 15, 2019, and prohibit the sale and public distribution of any type of balloon that is inflated with lighter-than-air gas, including helium.

The bylaw would also prohibit the release of any type of balloon.

“No person shall throw deposit, discard, or otherwise discharge inflated or uninflated balloons into any street, alley, waterway, park, beach or other public place in the town of Orleans,” the bylaw says.

Government and scientific agencies would be allowed to launch lighter-than-air aircraft or balloons.

The bylaw would be enforced by police or any other agent assigned by the Board of Selectmen. Anyone found in violation could face a noncriminal fine of up to $50.

The board told Town Administrator John Kelly to schedule a public hearing on the ban, as well as a proposed stormwater management requirement for some new developments.

At the public hearing, the commission will be able to present its reasoning behind the proposal and address any concerns. All proposed bylaws must go through a public hearing before the selectmen can decide to place it on the town meeting warrant.

The Board of Selectmen did not weigh in on the bylaw before requesting a public hearing. The board has the power to place the ban on the warrant and could elect to support it, but will only do so after going through the process, Chairman Alan McClennen said at the meeting.

— Follow Ethan Genter on Twitter: @EthanGenterCCT.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20190103/orleans-officials-consider-balloon-ban