wood-burning ban irks couple

Avis and Tony Erickson recently purchased an outdoor wood-burning stove to heat their home in Stewartville to cut down on their heating bills, but they're unsure whether or not they'll ever get to use it.

The Stewartville City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning outdoor wood- and corn-burning stoves last month. Avis Erickson said Monday that she hadn't heard about the ban until the stove had already been delivered from a Central Boiler dealer in Lake City.

Last winter, the couple paid $600 a month to heat their home with their natural gas furnace.

"We knew we had to make the decision to either find a cheaper way to heat the house or move to a smaller one," Erickson said. "We really don't want to move."

Stewartville City Administrator Bill Schimmel Jr. said while it's good that people are looking for alternative forms of energy, the smoke from the outdoor stoves can be a problem.

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