DECEMBER 16, 2008
Late fall season. Winds from the SE, 10-15 mph. Temp 10 degrees.
Burn duration: Appx. 1 hour. One of at least 5 during daylight hours.

After another summer of heavy levels of smoke and smell on our property, and after hearing similar stories from NINE surrounding neighbors in July and August, we looked forward to a response from the City of Oak Grove. We finally received a letter dated November 14, 2008. It said in part, "Several complaints have been received indicating that smoke is creating a public nuisance. The property owners responded by adding appx. 4' of height to the smoke stack of the OWB in an attempt to get the smoke elevated above neighboring residences, this addition to the stack height was completed by October 10, 2008." The letter ended "This concludes City Staff review of this matter."

Looking at the video, it's plain to see the addition of the pipe has had little, if any effect on the smoke emissions. In fact, from what we've seen since October, the smoke has noticeably INCREASED in volume and length of burns. You can see how the wind downwashes the smoke right along the ground, and it also rises up into the air.

The property creating the smoke was informed multiple properties find their smoke a nuisance; they added a 4' stack and are surely the first ones to evaluate the results and see it makes little if any difference. The smoke has not been abated whatsoever. Yet they continue their extreme burning practices, with the City telling the OWB owners and those of us living next to the nuisance that the matter is concluded. It's almost as if the owners are giving us a giant smokey "screw you". They've been given a license to burn, and it appears they're going at it with full gusto and little regard for property owners living nearby. That says a LOT about what kind of neighbor they are.
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