By Nancy Huddleston, Editor

The Savage City Council unanimously approved a policy Monday night (Oct. 19) that will ban smoking and tobacco use in all city parks.

The policy change has been under consideration by the City Council for the past month and discussed by the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission since April.

Public Works Director John Powell said that since this is a policy change, and not an ordinance, once signs have been installed then people will be asked to smoke in the designated areas.

The change means the current policy that prohibits tobacco use a youth sporting events will be expanded to be in place at all times, unless waived as a part of a special events permit for something like Dan Patch Days.

Designated smoking areas will be set up and people can still smoke inside their cars in the parking lots. Signs will be posted in city parks that make people aware of the policy and at designated smoking areas.

Before the vote was taken Monday night, there was a lively discussion amongst council members regarding the specifics of the policy.

“What about sidewalks and trails – are those included in the parks?” asked Councilwoman Jane Victorey.

“Where will the smoking permitted areas be? Who will identify the areas in the parks? Who determines what parks have smoking areas?” asked Councilman Gene Abbott.

Abbott said council members have received e-mails from residents about the proposed policy change and one question in particular caught his eye. “One was if they were at a family gathering in a park, could they have alcohol?” he said.

Abbott said the police chief confirmed that alcohol can be consumed in parks except from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. daily.

So that led him to another question, to ask his fellow council members if cigarettes and alcohol are being regulated differently in parks. “The use is more restrictive than alcohol,” Abbott pointed out about the tobacco policy.

City Attorney Ric Rosow said the city has ordinances that govern alcohol use. While people can consume a beer in parks, they cannot walk around anywhere in the city drinking and can be arrested for public intoxication if there is a complaint.

Victorey also added: “When people are having a beer they are not infringing on someone else’s comfort like they are when they are smoking.”

As to the concern about smoking on trails, Powell explained that the city’s definition of parks includes all park facilities. In fact, the updated tobacco use policy lists playgrounds, athletic sites, fields, warming houses, shelters, skate parks and the McColl Pond Environmental Learning Center (ELC) as places where smoking is prohibited.

Powell said sidewalks are not considered “park facilities” – only trails are.

“There is a trail along my house that goes through wildlife area and out into a residential area. Is that subject to this policy? Is it city property? It’s connected to the neighborhoods, not a park,” Abbott said.

Powell and Rosow explained when neighborhoods are developed the developer pays park fees or dedicates land for park use. Therefore if the city uses park fees or dedicated land for a park use, then the smoking ban applies.

Rosow said city staff can draw up a map that specifies all the trails and make it a part of the city’s revised policy.

“Let’s keep it simple and enact this policy as it is,” suggested Councilman Al McColl, “It’s a policy and we have a right to review it to see if it’s effective. When we talked about this last, I didn’t think about the trails, but I understand why they should be included as a part of this policy.”

McColl also pointed out the policy is not enforceable with a ticket or citation. “It’s a policy and we’re asking folks to abide by it to get this thing started and off the ground,” he said.

Councilwoman Christine Kelly put a finer point on it. “Frankly it doesn’t have any teeth,” she said.

“But it is still a great concept,” she quickly added. “We have a community that we claim as ‘naturally resourceful’ and we have an incredible park system set up. Asking residents not to smoke there is not out of line. And it’s not out of line to ask them not to smoke on trails, either.”

After the meeting, Pat Stieg, the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources commissioner who originally asked for the tobacco policy to be revised, said the city took a significant step.

“The previous policy was good, but didn’t go as far as this one goes,” he said. “I think the policy is consistent with not only the health of the people who come to our parks, but also the enjoyment of our parks.

“This (also) has to do with how the city wants to position itself, particularly in terms of providing a healthy environment to residents,” he continued.

Stieg pointed out that 112 cities in the state have similar policies.

Signs will be provided by Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation at no charge to the city. Stieg said the signs are stocked and all the city needs to do is call to request them.

Council members also voiced concern about designated smoking areas, saying each of the city’s 20 parks should have an area set aside to apply the policy uniformly. Powell said public works will set up areas in each park.

Mayor Janet Williams suggested the policy revision include a condition to review it in a year’s time. “We need to let this policy go through a summer because we’ll get a better indication of it,” she said.

Nancy Huddleston can be reached at editor@savagepacer.com.