Oak Park update
Smoking ban OK'd
It's official. As of July 1, smoking will be prohibited in all of Oak Park's public places and places of employment, and restaurants that provide a separate floor for smokers must be smoke-free by March 1, 2007. None of the controversy that surrounded the proposed smoking ban when trustees defeated it in March 2005 was evident at Monday's meeting when the board unanimously approved the measure. Five people spoke in favor of the ban; none spoke against. "I'm glad we didn't sit back and let the county ordinance take precedence," said Trustee Ray Johnson, thanking the businessmen and the smoking ban advocates for their collaboration, cooperation and compromise. In February, trustees said they favored the ban, but before adopting an ordinance, President David Pope suggested forming a task force to recommend how the ban should be implemented. Task force member David Ansell said the group made its recommendations in three meetings lasting a total of less than five hours. "I'm sorry we couldn't bring the groups together earlier," he said. The village had considered expanding its clean indoor air ordinance since at least summer 2003 when the Oak Park Health Board announced it would propose a smoking ban to trustees that fall. The previous Village Board voted down the smoking ban in March 2005, just a month before the election that gave the board majority to the New Leadership Party candidates. Trustee Martha Brock suggested that trustees honor those who worked for the smoking ban with a proclamation at a future meeting. Read
Oak Park OKs smoking ban
June 6, 2006
By Victoria Pierce, Special to the Tribune
Smokers soon will have to step outside if they want to light up while visiting or working in Oak Park restaurants, offices and other public buildings.
The Oak Park Village Board unanimously passed an indoor clean air ordinance Monday that prohibits smoking in all public places beginning July 1.
Restaurants with a smoking area on a separate floor have until March 1, 2007, to comply.
Board members and advocates were relieved to have an approved policy after more than three years of discussion.
"We are very, very thankful for this. This is, indeed, the future," said Dr. David Ansell of Oak Park, chairman of the internal medicine department at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Initial discussion of the ban was stymied because of fears that local businesses would be hurt because patrons might take their business to other nearby towns where smoking was allowed.
But that issue became a moot point when the Cook County Board passed a similar ordinance earlier this year. Now all Cook County municipalities must pass their own ordinance or abide by the county's.
The City of Chicago has enacted an ordinance prohibiting smoking in most establishments, including restaurants, and a smoking ban for Chicago taverns will be phased in later.
But in Oak Park, there were still issues to work out between smoking-ban advocates and local restaurateurs. Ultimately, a committee of Smoke Free Oak Park members and three restaurant owners came up with a compromise proposal.
Among the compromises was the delayed implementation for restaurants with smoking areas on a separate floor.
Smoking areas also will be allowed in outdoor seating areas. And smokers will have to be at least 15 feet away from the doorway if they must light up during dinner or while on a work break.
Those who violate the ordinance will be subject to a fine between $50 and $750.
"This has been a longtime coming," said Trustee Bob Milstein, who noted that his sister is now battling lung cancer. "I think this is one of the best things we've ever done. It's about time." Read
Village considers July 1 for smoking ban
March 15, 2006
CHRIS LAFORTUNE
Village trustees will vote in April on a ordinance to prohibit smoking in public buildings, though there is still disagreement on whether people can smoke just outside those buildings.
Trustees on Monday discussed recommendations from the board's clean indoor air working group, which recommends adoption of a clean air ordinance to go into effect July 1.
The group also recommends a delayed effective date, March 1, 2007, for restaurants that provide an entire separate floor on a different level for smoking patrons.
That would include restaurants such as Papaspiros, The Avenue Ale House and Leona's, trustees discussed Monday.
The village plans to use a clean indoor air ordinance from Highland Park as its model, Village President David Pope said, but has left off the table guidelines on how far people are allowed to smoke once outside a building.
"There was an understanding in discussion there was no consensus, so therefore we would leave it off the table," Pope said. "It won't be part of the ordinance."
Trustee Greg Marsey asked whether recommendations on how far people must be from a building would return to the board. Clean indoor group member and Smoke-Free Oak Park representative Dean Schraufnagel said he did not believe the discussion was in its final stage yet and his group still wanted to see Oak Park's ordinance before the board votes on it, to offer feedback.
Assistant Village Manager Peter Dame said a first draft could go to all interested parties before the board does a first reading on the ordinance at its April 3 meeting and approval at its second meeting, set for April 17.
Dennis Murphy, owner of Poor Phil's and clean indoor group member, said outdoor smoking did come up, though there wasn't much conversation about it.
"My impression was that we agreed it wasn't an issue to be raised at this particular point in time," Murphy said.
Spiro Papageorge, owner of Papaspiros Greek restaurant and member of the indoor air group, said there are restaurants that have outdoor seating, such as his own. For instance, if people must be 15 feet from outdoor seating to smoke, he said, customers will have to cross the street.
"If they want to start fighting this, then we might as well shelve the whole thing," Murphy said. "We're not going to go for it."
Trustees also discussed local and regional marketing for businesses to draw people into the village once it goes smoke free.
Village Business Services Manager Loretta Daly said the local program would reward local patrons who go to restaurants and shop locally.
For instance, a shop and eat in town program could give consumers $5 worth of "Oak Park Dollars" for every $25 they spend in town. Daly estimated the program could cost about $10,000, given $50,000 in local shop receipts.
The village could also promote a bike to shop program in conjunction with the Chicagoland Bike Federation.
On the regional level, there could be an advertising campaign to encourage people to come to Oak Park to eat, promoting the improved indoor air environment.
Money could be provided to both business districts and individual businesses, with village estimates now at about $44,000.
Trustee Ray Johnson said he was concerned about the cost and asked that Daly take the proposals back to the business association council to see if costs could come down.
Trustee Bob Milstein, however, was less concerned with the cost and suggested the program could be expanded.
"I really don't want the dollars to be limited," Milstein said. "The creativity should be developed first, and the dollars will follow that."
Move to ban smoking resurfaces in Oak Park
By Victoria Pierce
Special to the Tribune
February 8, 2006
A proposal to ban smoking in public establishments in Oak Park is rising from the ashes, nearly a year after it was voted down by the Village Board.
Village President David Pope, who voted against the ban last spring, on Monday proposed the village revisit the issue and create a group made up of business leaders and smoking-ban advocates to recommend how and when a clean indoor-air ordinance should be implemented in Oak Park.
Pope suggested a short time frame to get it done, possibly with adopting an ordinance by late March and implementing it by the end of September. Much of the significant information about the issue is already compiled from the debate a year ago, so new studies and extensive public hearings should not be necessary, he said.
But a couple things have changed since the ban was voted down amid concerns about the economic impact on local businesses.
The City of Chicago has enacted an ordinance prohibiting smoking in most establishments, including restaurants, and a smoking ban for Chicago taverns will be phased in later. Other towns, including Highland Park and Springfield, have also enacted similar smoking bans.
The Chicago ordinance eases some of the concerns of Oak Park business owners who feared their smoking customers would simply head to Chicago to light up during dinner.
The Oak Park business community also seems more willing to support a smoking ban this time around. Some of the staunchest opponents of the ban have already chosen to make their establishments smoke-free since the last debate.
"I am not going to oppose the implementation of a smoking ban," said Spiro Papageorge, owner of Papaspiros Greek Taverna. "The time has come."
Papageorge said he knows the majority of the community supports a smoking ban and that many restaurants and businesses have already become smoke-free. At Papaspiros, he said, smoking will soon no longer be allowed in the upstairs portion of the restaurant.
But Papageorge asked the trustees to give businesses a lot of time to implement the ban. Restaurants will need to alter their business plans, do marketing and prepare their customers for the change.
Several trustees also appeared ready to support an indoor smoking ban and gave the nod to Pope's proposal.
"It's really not a tough decision for me," said Trustee Martha Brock. "We want to have this done as quickly as possible. Let's get it done now."
Supporters of Smoke Free Oak Park, which spearheaded the initial effort along with the village's Department of Public Health, said they were happy to see the issue being raised again.
Dr. David Ansell of Oak Park said the debate over going smoke-free has focused mainly on customer choice, but there are other issues to be considered.
"It's all about, in my mind, protecting workers' health," said Ansell, who chairs the department of internal medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago. "Customer choice has been emphasized, but workers don't have the choice." Read
Like it or not, 2 restaurants see smoke-free writing on their walls
January 10, 2006
DREW CARTER
Oak Park restaurateurs, like anyone following the issue, expect the village board will pass an indoor smoking ban as early as February.
"I just think it’s inevitable," said Nick Gambino, co-owner of Cucina Paradiso. "If it passed in the city (of Chicago), it will pass everywhere else."
The restaurant’s owners fought the first incarnation of a smoking ban, voted down by the village board last spring. Gambino said they will not continue to fight.
On Jan. 2, Cucina Paradiso, 814 South Blvd., went smoke-free.
"More people are interested in a smoke-free environment, so we felt that was the best decision for us," Gambino said. He said regular bar customers did not leave when they were asked not to smoke, but went outside to light up.
"Now, whether they’ll continue to do that, we’ll have to wait and see," Gambino said.
But Michael Pace, owner of La Bella, 1103 South Blvd., and the Avenue Ale House (now just "The Avenue"), 825 S. Oak Park Ave., said he’ll continue to fight for the right to choose though he has decided to make LaBella smoke-free.
"I’m in business for myself because I don’t like being told what to do," Pace said. "And that’s exactly what they’re doing here."
Pace said that in expectation of a smoke-free law, the Avenue has shifted its focus away from its bar business. Cigar smoking has been banned there, too, to respect diners.
"It’s inevitable it’s gonna happen," he said. "But even Dennis Murphy [owner of Poor Phil’s], who went smoke-free, doesn’t like it being rammed down our throats."
Pace said La Bella went smoke-free, like Poor Phil’s, in response to customers’ concerns.
Both restaurateurs said they’d prefer to see county- or state-wide indoor smoking bans so that Oak Park smokers wouldn’t be lost to bars and restaurants in Forest Park. Read
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