`house At Pooh Corner' Has Room For The Family

34 Bands Set For Mindstock 
A List Of Acts Performing At Mindstock, In Order Of Appearance. Bands Begin At 
1 P.m. Each Day And Will Start At Half-hour Intervals (approximate And Subject 
To Change): 
Saturday 
Big Daddy Shotgun 
Fierce Nipples

By P. DOUGLAS FILAROSKI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Saturday, July 27, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE -- Is a barbecue grill ordinance such a hot idea? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At first, Lois Knorr thought so. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I guess it's a good idea. You shouldn't be grilling on your porch," said
Knorr, talking about Mayor Tom McGroarty's latest proposal to ban barbecuing
on porches or near homes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Madison Street man and his mother became homeless Wednesday after the man
turned away momentarily from the burgers cooking on the grill on his back
porch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In an instant, the grill's gas tank exploded, and orange flames crawled up
the side of George Yanik's home, gutting and damaging two others. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The mayor said Friday his staff had not completed a proposed ordinance yet
but he hoped to forward one to City Council soon. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The law would be similar to one McGroarty saw while vacationing in Ocean
City, Md. That law prohibited cookouts in enclosed areas, or in the vicinity
of a building, the mayor said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's almost like common sense," he said. "But common sense doesn't always
take care of it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fire Capt. Donald Wittkopp said firefighters have been trying for years to
get city officials to adopt a barbecue ordinance. Wednesday's fire wasn't the
first he has seen caused by a grill, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I've seen them often to know we need this," Wittkopp said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ed Delaney remembers the time a warm, orange whoosh made him think twice
about the safety of his gas barbecue grill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "One of my daughters forgot to turn the gas off and it went ba-boom," said
Delaney, a Dagobert Street resident. "I always thought those things were
dangerous. It sounds like a good idea to me." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Susan Little, who lives in a South Franklin Street apartment, said she
supports the idea because her safety doesn't only depend on her own
carefulness, but on others, as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There's an apartment upstairs. If they were to mess up up there -- I got
children. It could be terrible," she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A friend, who didn't want to give his name, disagreed, saying not everyone
has enough room outside their home to grill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Say it's raining, and you want to have a little barbecued chicken. You
grill it on your porch," the friend said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Knorr lives next to Delaney on Dagobert Street in a neatly kept ranch
house. With the rear door open in the kitchen, the afternoon sun lit up a
backyard shed as she walked to show where she barbecues. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Her eyes lit with surprise when she opened the door and saw the grill
sitting tightly against the back of the house. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "See there," she said. "That would be a no-no, I guess." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Knorr wondered now what people who have no backyards would do if the
mayor's proposal passes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "What are people supposed to do if they live in an apartment building?"
Knorr asked. "You know, I guess this might not be such a good idea. I like the
mayor, but I'm not so sure I like this." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

W-b Cooking Up Barbecue Grill Safety Law A Fire Started By An Unwatched Grill On A Porch Prompts Mayor Mcgroarty To Take Action