Springfield eyes smoking ban at town parks, recreation fields

Springfield Select Board gave its tentative approval to a proposal to ban smoking and the use of tobacco on the town's recreation fields and parks.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20111026/NEWS02/710269937

Published October 26, 2011 in the Rutland Herald

Springfield eyes smoking ban at town parks, recreation fields

By Susan Smallheer
Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD — Smokers may soon be a thing of the past at summer baseball games and the town pool.

The Springfield Select Board gave its tentative approval Monday to adopting a policy that would ban smoking on town recreation fields and parks.

But the board didn’t seem to favor an outright ban on all town property, saying it would be impossible to enforce and unfair to those town employees who do smoke.

Corey Cenate of the Springfield Tobacco Options and Prevention asked the board to consider such a policy, saying that second-hand smoke was unhealthy for the town’s children.

Cenate said that much of Riverside Park is town-owned land, and it would be great to get all smokers to refrain from smoking. He said he was also working with businesses in the Springfield Shopping Plaza to move their employee smoking areas to the rear of the store, thus avoiding secondhand smoke at the entrance to the store.

The Springfield School District, which owns Riverside Middle School and the town’s football field, Brown Field, has already banned smoking on school property.

But people attending football games know where to get their nicotine fix at halftime, when they seek out town property, said Andy Bladyka, the town’s recreation director, who supported a smoke-free policy.

The town seemed inclined toward a policy, rather than a more formal approach such as a town ordinance.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Bladyka said. “Right now, we have nothing in writing.”

Other Vermont cities and towns have recently adopted a similar ban, including Rutland, Hartford, Bennington and Weathersfield.

Kristi Morris, chairman of the Select Board, said that banning smoking from all town property would not only include the steps of the town hall, where town hall employees go for a smoke, but town-owned parking lots.

Morris said he wanted the town to be “careful not to restrict the rights of people who do smoke.”

The town hall is smoke-free, he said, and there is a designated area for smokers outside.

Two town employees, Jeff Mobus and Meredith Kelley, both suggested that it would be a good idea to ban smoking from all town property.

“Secondhand smoke is bad for adults, too,” Mobus said.

But Bladyka said he was hoping the policy would extend to The Commons, Freedom Park, and Hartness Park as well.

Bladyka and Cenate will return to the board with a proposed policy. Bladyka said he liked the Hartford policy, which he said was simple and straightforward, and one-page long.

“Our focus will be on child-related activities,” he said, noting Hartford didn’t ban smoking at a town-owned boat landing.

Select Board member John Swanson said he was in favor of the smoking ban, but he noted that historical re-enactors often use the town parks in the summer, and often smoke in historical fashion.

Cenate said he expected community pressure would help keep the parks and playing fields smoke-free.

“We have coaches, athletic directors, students and parents,” he said.

Many school teams play on town property, he added.

Enforcement is an issue, said Town Manager Robert Forguites, who said that Bladyka “doesn’t want to sit there with a ticket book.”

“Most of the time, people will comply,” he said.