The State College Borough Council narrowly approved Our Lady of Victory Preschool’s use of colored powder on private property for its 5K Color Run fundraiser with a 4-3 vote Monday evening.

Monday’s meeting moved between a variety of topics, from debates over the health risks of color powder, to the nature of sand, to the use of Robert’s Rules of Order.

Council originally viewed Our Lady of Victory’s request for the use of several sidewalks and the Orchard Park bike path at its November 18 meeting. But several Council members tabled the vote due to health concerns about the colored powder the run’s organizers plan to use. Council members said that it could be dangerous, especially to young children.

That debate resumed Monday.

Borough Manager Tom Fountaine likened the powder to sand, calling it a “sediment” that could enter the Borough’s sewer system. The Borough is obligated to limit the amount of sediment that enters its drainage system due to permit regulations. Fountaine said that the powder did not pose an environmental risk, but would carry the same risk as sand if it entered the sewer system.

Councilwoman Theresa Lafer immediately moved to approve the event request without the use of color powder.

“If the dust, as they describe it, is detrimental to our storm sewers, I can’t imagine what it does to human lungs,” she said. “I understand this is done in other parts of the world, but I don’t know if that makes it a particularly good precedent.”

After a series of motions and amendments, Mayor Don Hahn opened the floor for public comment.

Kate Masters, a representative of the Our Lady of Victory Board, said that the run would serve as the preschool’s “one and only” fundraiser, and that it planned to use the color powder on grassy areas of school property so it would not enter the drainage system as easily.

Masters also said that the powder was made of corn starch and edible dye.

“I would say that your fertilizer in your lawn is probably more harmful, and I’m speaking as a Ph.D organic chemist as well,” Masters said

“Food dye, there are arguments over whether they’re carcinogenic or not. I’ll accept that they’re not, in this case. right or wrong,” Lafer immediately replied. She then labelled talc, an ingredient in some powders, as dangerous.

“Would you eat talc? Would you feed talc to your kid?” she asked Masters. “My question is: if you think about talc as talc, to be breathed, does this really sound to you like a good fundraiser?…Have you looked at it from the point of view of what you’re actually pouring over the kids?”

“Again, it’s corn starch,” Masters replied. “This is done many, many times throughout the year in many, many different states.”

Lafer, Catherine Dauler, and Janet Engeman voted against the amended motion, while Dan Murphy, Jesse Barlow, David Brown, and Evan Myers passed it.

“I believe we just broke Robert’s Rules,” Lafer said after the vote. “I’d like to make a comment for the record, I do not believe that the amendment was stated properly, I do not believe that the votes were done in proper order, and I just want that on the record, because the whole point is to follow the rules.”