Kanawha County Parks Update
Taking a Smoking Ban a Step Further
August 15, 2007
Story by Gil McClanahan
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Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission is considering banning smoking on all county park property.
Story by Gil McClanahan
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Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission is considering banning smoking on all county park property.
CHARLESTON — The ban on smoking in Kanawha County may be taken a step further.
The county Parks and Recreation Commission is considering a total smoking ban on all county park property.
“I think it’s ridiculous to ban it in an area that is open and where people maybe are 200 to 300 yards away from other people,” said Howard Frye of South Charleston.
John Young of Charleston said all park property, “which should include golf I think that’s something we should really look into.”.
Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper sent a letter to the board requesting the ban.
“I think for people that don’t smoke and for people that never smoked, it would be a wonderful thing if they didn’t have to be punished by the smoke,” said Rush Starr of South Charleston.
John Elliott of Charleston said he thinks the county is “moving in the politically-correct realm, moving too far, too extreme.”
Some of the board members concerns include hurting revenues and how difficult it would be to enforce a ban because the entire county park system consists of seven parks totalling 2,500 acres.
“Golfer at Shawnee park hole 7 is smoking, how many times am I going to respond to this? I’m very limited in the number of officers we have,” said Chief Randy West of the Kanawha County Park Police.
The proposal is still alive, far from going up in smoke; however, the board decided to consider the issue again at their meeting next month.
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