Phase 2 Noxious Nuisance Violation | 2609 Applewood Rd.

[Aaron Steinke]

Greetings,

My name is Aaron Steinke. I live at 2607 Applewood Rd., Champaign, IL 61822. My phone number is 217-419-6725.

My neighbors burn garbage and scrap wood in their fireplace and it smokes out the whole neighborhood and smells awful. To my eyes (and nose), this is a violation of the Nuisances provision: No noxious or offensive activity shall be carried on upon any lot, nor shall anything be done thereon which may be or may become an annoyance or nuisance to the neighborhood.

It's not just a quick grilling or whiff of smoke at the start. This is a strong, pungent awful odor of Co2 particulate that lingers for hours while they burn. You can be outside for a few minutes to check your mailbox and come back smelling like you've been sitting at a campfire all night. This is harmful and not safe to breathe. I have small children that I don't want breathing in these toxins. We can't open our windows or sit outside when they burn. They burn several evenings a week and all day on Sundays lately. I've walked around the block and tracked the smell back to their house as well as observed the dirty grey smoke coming down from their chimney.

We attempted to be neighborly and reached out to them directly about this, but they were mostly dismissive. They did have their chimney cleaned, but the strong horrid burning smell persists because they're not just burning seasoned wood. Every woodburning person I've spoken with including the folks at Grizzly's agree it wouldn't smell that way unless they were burning material other than seasoned wood in their fireplace. They aren't burning for heat as they burned for several hours last night and it was 70 degrees. They burn their trash and he burns scrap wood in there from his woodshop.

The neighbor in question is:

Leslie Wranovics - (217) 721-6950

Patrick Pfeifer - (217) 722-9652

2609 Applewood Rd.

Champaign, IL 61822

I also do think there's a chance that their chimney does not adhere to the 2-3-10 Rule of Chimneys which may be part of the problem, but the neighbor was not at all open to the idea of extending his chimney so that the smoke wouldn't just billow down and rest on neighboring properties.

Please let me know what can be done about this from an HOA perspective. We can't open our windows, sit outside or enjoy our property and we have small children that we don't want breathing this stuff in. The smell is so bad it has gotten into our home before even with the windows closed and we've had to invest in air purifiers on every floor to try to mitigate that.

I've reached out to the Norman Davis at the Township as well as John Hall in City Zoning and Planning and everyone agrees this is a genuine nuisance but no one seems able or willing to do anything about it.

Looking forward to your reply,

Aaron J. Steinke

[Leslie Wranovics]

Greetings Aaron,

We’re glad we came across your post just in time for the 2025 Fall/Winter fire season. In preparation, we feel it appropriate to respond to your concerns regarding our fireplace.

First and foremost, we do not appreciate our personal names and phone numbers being posted publicly. Sharing our private information in this way is inappropriate and unacceptable. We also take issue with the spreading of rumors that we are burning garbage or unsafe materials. These accusations are false and damaging, and we must ask—when have you ever been inside our home to witness such actions?

To set the record straight, we have never burned garbage, scrap wood, or anything other than properly seasoned firewood. Our chimney is professionally inspected and cleaned every year, and a three-foot extension was installed in December 2024 despite our local, trusted chimney service professional advising it was unnecessary, since our chimney was already in full compliance.

It is also worth noting that at no point have you ever initiated a face-to-face conversation with us about this matter. Every communication has come from behind a keyboard. If there are genuine concerns, we expect direct and respectful dialogue—not public postings that misrepresent the situation.

We take proper fireplace use seriously and comply with all guidelines. Our 2025 cleaning and inspection is already scheduled, we are on the list for firewood delivery in the coming weeks, and we will continue to enjoy our fireplace. Just because you dislike something does not mean we are doing anything wrong, and we will not accept baseless claims being circulated about us in the community.

Going forward, we consider this matter closed unless it is addressed through the HOA or the proper official channels. Please also be advised that if false claims, public postings of our personal information, or other forms of harassment continue, we will have no choice but to pursue legal action to protect ourselves.

Sincerely,

Leslie Wranovics & Patrick Pfeifer