LAKEWOOD – Complaints about the exterior wood burning furnace at 36 Ohio St. in the village of Lakewood poured in during the public comment period at the recent village board meeting.

Samuel Whitmore, owner of Bag and String Wine Merchants, brought up the initial grievance asking the village to get involved to require a higher chimney to allow smoke to disperse before it enters neighbors’ homes.

“I smell smoke in my house just about all winter long. Even in this mild winter, I smell it constantly,” Whitmore said, adding this is an issue which has been going on for years. “I have two young children. It’s a health issue for them. It’s a public nuisance. It’s a health issue for a lot of other people. There are elderly people on the street. It’s unfortunate and appalling that the village hasn’t stepped up to do something more about it.”

Whitmore said he understands the home was grandfathered in, and there has to be a way around the issue to require a more efficient furnace.

Mayor David Wordelmann said Lakewood officials have done everything they legally can. In past years the chimney was attempted to be raised on the stove.

“The village has to be very careful when it comes to something in like that,” said Jeff Swanson, code enforcement officer. “If you installed a manufactured specification, I don’t know what the specification is on that wood stove, and something happens the village could be liable if all of a sudden you add on 10 feet of chimney and it causes a fire within the structure. I have made numerous calls to the (Department of Environmental Conservation) on that. Finally, we did start getting some resolution from the DEC that is going to step in and try to help us out on this.”

Whitmore said in his opinion, the furnace is a fire hazard, stating there isn’t even a cap on the chimney. Other residents added on, pointing out people in the past thought their own house was on fire due to the strong smell of smoke. Craig Seger, Lakewood resident and a landlord of homes in the area, said his tenants complained of ash on their cars due to the furnace.

Tad Wright, village attorney, said off the top of his head, there isn’t anything for the village to enforce but mentioned neighbors can take up a civil action lawsuit.