Council Gives Smoking Ban Final Approval
Next time you head to Gray’s Lake or a local swimming pool, plan on leaving the cigarettes in the car. The Des Moines City Council has approved the third and final reading of a smoke-free parks bill.
The ordinance creates a 25-foot smoke-free zone around Western Gateway Park, Gray’s Lake beach, swimming pools, and Cownie Soccer Complex. City-sponsored events would also be subject to the ban, and violators could face up to $750 in fines.
The City of Perry approved a similar ordinance Monday night as well.
Council to move on park smoking ban
DesMoinesRegister.com – Des Moines,IA,USA
As long as they allow people to smoke marijuana at Simon Estes, I could care less. Pot smoking was rampant at the Wailers show and the cops and security let …
Des Moines Expands Smoking Ban
KCCI.com – Des Moines,IA,USA
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines City Council voted Monday night in favor of a proposed ordinance to ban smoking at various parks.Light up in parks? Council votes no
D.M. officials approve the first reading of a proposal to ban smoking in and near some public parks.
By MELISSA WALKER, REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Des Moines is set to join a growing number of U.S. cities that have banned smoking in and around public parks.
City Council members on Monday unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance to ban smoking at some park facilities in the city, including Western Gateway Park, Gray’s Lake beach, swimming and wading pools and the James W. Cownie Soccer Complex.
A 25-foot smoke-free zone would surround each area, and the ban would include entire parks that are connected to school sites, such as Westchester Park near Hoover High School. Also included in the ban would be city-sponsored events such as the “Nitefall on the River” concert series at the Simon Estes Amphitheater and youth activities.
Private events on public property such as the Des Moines Arts Festival at Gateway Park could receive an exemption to the rule. Don Tripp, parks department director, would grant all exemptions.
Tripp said the ban was proposed because it’s a customer service and safety issue for people who use parks facilities and attend parks events.
The new rules could go into effect as soon as September. Council members will vote on the second and third readings of the ordinance next month. Violators of the ordinance would face fines of up to $750.
Des Moines resident Diana Ladd presented the council with a petition signed by 180 residents against the proposed ordinance.
“You want to deny my right to sit on a park bench and enjoy a cigarette,” Ladd said to council members.
She said if the city is concerned about aesthetics, it should install more containers for smokers to place cigarette butts.
“Why do nonsmokers insist on sitting next to someone smoking a cigarette and then complain about it?” Ladd said. “Smokers have rights, and we will fight this.”
Council members rejected additions to the ordinance from members of anti-smoking groups to include all parks in the ban and to prohibit all tobacco products including chewing tobacco. Dan Ramsey of the American Lung Association said including all parks would make the ordinance more clear-cut and easier to enforce.
The council earlier this year banned smoking in public parking garages. City Manager Rick Clark said the city would use “soft enforcement” of the parks ordinance, which would include an aggressive sign program and a campaign to inform people of the ban.
“It shouldn’t be something that requires the service of our police officers,” he said.
Urbandale city officials earlier this year banned all tobacco in city parks during youth sports events. Pleasant Hill and Indianola have similar policies, and Johnston has designated some parks tobacco-free. Cedar Rapids has smoke-free public transportation. Ames and Iowa City had banned smoking in restaurants, but the Iowa Supreme Court overturned those ordinances because they were stricter than state law.
Officials nationwide and across the world have banned smoking in public places. In Omaha, officials in 2006 banned smoking in places of employment. Kansas City, Mo., has had a similar ban since 2005.
Originally written By: Melissa Walker
