Chicken Chatter Will Continue

"Don't think we don't listen to you. You've already changed the thinking about this, no matter what happens," said Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta tonight to the many local residents who showed at Town Hall to protest the pending introduction of an ordinance allowing for raising backyard chickens in Maplewood.

More than a dozen residents had spoken during public comments against such an ordinance, citing issues such as rats, guano, noise and negatively impacted property values.

A few others spoke in favor, touting the benefits of locally grown food and education — as well as the charms of chickens as pets.

Those in favor included Reesa Salomon who chaired the Green Team Committee that recommended the pilot program and new resident Helen Donaldson, who raised three hens in her small backyard in Australia.

Salomon restated the positive aspects she had spoken about at an earlier Township Commitee meeting — raising food locally and educating children — and added that "if there were major issues, these other town would have shut down" their chicken ordinances. She also argued that the majority of rats were drawn by food left out to feed birds or feral cats.

Jason Hackett offered sometimes conflicting testimony — saying that raising chickens in a suburban environment ought not be attempted, but also adding that, if allowed, butchering chickens should be a part of the ordinance to show the full "circle of life."

Other opponents were simpler and clearer in their opposition.

"I have rats," said Susan Stone of Summit Avenue. "It's very embarrassing." Stone said she could not go in her back yard or have friends over for a barbeque on her deck. "If you add chickens, it's worse. It's disgusting."

Marli Craig of Summit Avenue presented an online petition against the chicken coop ordinance. It had been signed by 84 residents online and three more at the meeting. In response to a change introduced by Profeta that coops and runs would be required to be raised with trays below to capture feces, Craig asked, "Where will those trays be washed and drained?" She said she was worried for the health of her child.

Joan Crystal felt that "the town does not have the greatest record when it comes to enforcing ordinances." She offered the examples of sidewalks and illegal renters. "We leave it to citizens to report."

Jim LoStuto of Summit Avenue wondered who would test the birds to ensure that they were disease-free. He also argued that the schools provide field trips and bring farmers markets into the schools (at least at Tuscan Elementary) to educate children about farming and nutrition. LoStuto also worried about the cost to the town for enforcement.

New resident Michael Goldstein of Midland Boulevard said he and his wife "would emphatically not have purchased a home with a chicken coop adjacent."

Catherine Racette of Midland Boulevard said, "This ordinance doesn't solve anything," noting that there was no shortage of eggs or chickens.

Ultimately, the Township Committee voted 3-2 to allow for an amended ordinance to be introduced on October 4 at the next Township Committee meeting. The second reading of the ordinance and public hearing would take place on October 18.

The ordinance was amended per suggestion of Mayor Vic DeLuca, in deference to public comments, to require that each permit applicant gain approval from neighbors. The ordinance would allow for 15 households throughout town to pilot the program over the course of one year. Also, as Profeta stated, coops and runs would be raised with trays underneath to catch guano; plus, food would be required to be kept indoors overnight so as not to attract rats.

Profeta felt strongly that "market value is about perception." Profeta thought that, although many residents now feel that chicken coops would lower property values, in time, prospective residents would prefer to locate in a town that allowed backyard chickens. In addition, the requirement to gain neighbors' approval would ensure that those opposed would not have to deal with nearby chicken coops.

"Do you think there's a snowball's chance that anybody is going to raise chickens in your neighborhood?" Profeta asked the many residents of the Midland Boulevard and Summit Avenue neighborhood present. "It ain't happening."

DeLuca said he understood that a number of residents who came out to protest the proposed ordinance at this meeting and the last might be frustrated by the continuation of the ordinance, but he said "that's the process." DeLuca said that there may be many more people for or against the pilot program — "we may have barely scratched the surface" — but he said, "I'm of the mind to introduce the ordinance and through the process we will find out."