Smoking On Beaches: IL Lake Forest Beach

Some of the Lake Forest aldermen seem to have completely lost their minds! I had known that Lake Forest was having an upcoming city council meeting to supposedly review the new proposed smoking ban. The problem was, I had memorized the wrong date till Bob Susnjara phoned yesterday afternoon and I learned the meeting was last night.

There will be another meeting later this month, where the public will also be allowed to speak and I’ll be at that one!!! That will probably also be the meeting where the council votes. I’m once again afraid this was a “done deal” before it was ever reported the first time. They seem to want to push this ban through in a hurry.

Bob wrote an honest story, as he always does in spite of the recent opinion position the Sun-Times family of newspapers have taken….The Daily Herald is one of them. Seems the Daily Herald is still playing fair, as they have in the past.

“Not as supportive of Lake Forest’s proposed ban was Garnet Dawn Scheuer, Midwest regional director for The Smoker’s Club Inc.Scheuer, who lives on the Lake Forest border in Lake Bluff, contends there is no conclusive proof it’s harmful to inhale secondhand smoke. She also said cigarette butts are not the only form of litter on beaches.

“If they’re going to open the door to smoking bans, they’re going to find something else to pick on,” she said.”

Incidentally, the Lake Forest “Public Beach” is not very public, or at best is very expensive, except to LF residents. The season “beach” pass is called a “parking permit”. See the beach fee table below the news story for the required fees. It will blow your mind…. It costs a Lake Forest resident $96 for the summer. Everyone else, including Lake Bluff, pay $1,189.00 per year. (The village of Lake Bluff would not contribute funding to the recent expense of the LF construction and conversion project to create a beach from the Lake Michigan bluffs a few years ago. The prohibitive cost was intended as LB’s punishment for refusing to invest.)

July 6, 2006
Garnet Dawn
The Smoker’s Club, Inc.
Midwest Regional Director
The United Pro Choice Smokers Rights Newsletter – http://www.smokersclubinc.com
Illinois Smokers Rights – http://www.illinoissmokersrights.com/
mailto:garnetdawn@comcast.net – Respect Freedom of Choice!

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Lake Forest weighs smoke ban on public beach

July 05, 2006
BY BOB SUSNJARA, Daily Herald Staff Writer

As suburbs continue to enact bans on smoking in public places such as parks, restaurants and taverns, Lake Forest has a proposal that might take it up a notch.

Lake Forest’s public Forest Park Beach would be part of a proposed smoking ban that was discussed by aldermen during a meeting Wednesday. Further discussion on the idea is expected next month.

Under the proposal in Lake Forest, smoking also would be barred at city parks, restaurants, enclosed public areas, workplaces, outdoor dining places, school grounds and venues with open-air seating.

Before Wednesday’s meeting, Lake County’s director of community health services, Bill Mays, supported Lake Forest’s proposed smoking ban. He also backed not being able to light up on the beach on Lake Michigan.

“I think it’s a great idea for two reasons,” Mays said. “No. 1 is the pure aesthetics of it. Nobody should be treating their beaches as a public ashtray. Two, somebody can get their foot burned.”

Not as supportive of Lake Forest’s proposed ban was Garnet Dawn Scheuer, Midwest regional director for The Smoker’s Club Inc.Scheuer, who lives on the Lake Forest border in Lake Bluff, contends there is no conclusive proof it’s harmful to inhale secondhand smoke. She also said cigarette butts are not the only form of litter on beaches.

“If they’re going to open the door to smoking bans, they’re going to find something else to pick on,” she said.

Some aldermen at Wednesday’s meeting said the proposed smoking ban needs fine-tuning and might not go far enough.

One of the aldermen, David Grumhaus Jr., said Lake Forest shouldn’t exempt taverns from the smoking ban, as currently proposed. He also said the city should consider prohibiting puffing on Metra platforms.

“I do think there are communities that look up to us,” Grumhaus said.

However, Alderman Timm Reynolds said he’s concerned about businesses possibly leaving town if the ordinance passes.

Lake Forest High School student Alex Rowley was among the speakers who supported the smoking ban. She’s part of a Lake County teenage chapter of Reality Illinois that seeks to make communities smoke-free.

“We know that smoking is bad, but almost everywhere we go, smoking is allowed,” said Rowley, an incoming senior.

Lake Forest resident Carly Andersen, a University of Illinois student and president of a 183-girl sorority, also supported the smoking ban.

Andersen said college-age Lake Forest residents wouldn’t ditch the city’s bars over not being able to light up. Instead, said the incoming U of I junior, they already are prone to visit neighboring Highwood for “louder and crazier” taverns.

Lake Forest would join Lindenhurst, Highland Park, Buffalo Grove, Skokie, Wilmette, Chicago, Cook County and Deerfield with some form of smoking ban.

Deerfield officials Wednesday night were expected to consider adding more restrictions to what already is considered one of the state’s toughest antismoking laws.

Village board members planned to discuss whether to regulate the use of outdoor fire pits and fireplaces.

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Forest Park Beach

Visitors to this 29+ acre park located on Lake Road at the far east end of Deerpath can enjoy the large beach and grass areas, swimming or other water activities. Open year round, park amenities include sheltered pavilions, grills, a fishing pier, boat launching ramp and storage area, walking paths and a concession stand during the summer months.

Lake Forest residents can reserve beach facilities. A valid Lake Forest vehicle license is required for beach level parking.

Fees for Forest Park Beach Stickers

The table below lists the fee for 2006 season. If you would like to purchase a sticker please come into the Recreation Center, Monday thru Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. If you have any questions please call 847-234-6700.

Type	Resident Fee	Resident Senior Fee	Non-Resident Fee
Boat Ramp Launch	$334	$254	$2,117
Seasonal Boat Storage	$1,002	$525	$3,787
Year Round Storage	$1,480	$721	$4,456
Winter Storage	$525	$525	$1,894
South Beach Parking	$96	$72	$1,189
Sailboat Rack Storage	$334	$254	$1,968
Extra Decals (For multiple ownership only)	$54	$54	$106
Lost Key / Transfer Fee (Decal must be surrendered	$5	$5	$5