Smokers losing a refuge
Parks across region impose restrictions

April 9, 2006
By Jamie Francisco, Tribune staff reporter. Freelance reporter Robert Channick contributed to this report

One of the last sanctuaries for harassed smokers--America's great outdoors--is increasingly off limits as communities ban tobacco lovers from taking a drag as they stroll through the park, hit the beach or sit by the pool.

Park districts in Buffalo Grove, Hoffman Estates and Park Ridge recently have limited or prohibited smoking in parks and outside community centers, swimming pools and skating rinks. In recent years, Oak Park and Deerfield also have banned smoking in their parks.

It's part of a burgeoning national movement to limit smoking outdoors, experts say. Nearly 400 communities from West Virginia to California currently ban smoking in parks and on beaches, said Cynthia Hallett, executive director of Berkeley, Calif.-based Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. In Southern California, Orange County upped the ante last year, banning smoking along its entire coastline.

"Much like we have laws that protect us from asbestos or other toxic chemicals, there is no right to expose anybody to a known carcinogen," Hallett said.

Not all local park districts agree with the move, arguing it would be too difficult to find the resources to police violators, including parents who light up while watching their children's Little League games.

Jim Brookman, president of the Des Plaines Park District Board of Commissioners, questioned the need for an outdoor smoking ban when enforcement would be a challenge.

"I don't see [the point] in having a rule on the books, just to have [it] on the books," said Brookman, whose board recently discussed a ban but tabled the measure. "You can't walk 50 feet from the park and tell someone, `You can't smoke here.'"

The idea of a smoking ban was presented to the Chicago Park District about a year ago, but officials took no action, district spokeswoman Michele Jones said. All Chicago Park District field houses are smoke-free, but enforcing a smoking ban at parks citywide would be difficult, she said.

Equally huge are the 68,000 acres covered by the Cook County Forest Preserve, an area patrolled by 70 officers who encourage smokers to extinguish their cigarettes to prevent brush fires. A smoking ban right now is unlikely, spokesman Steve Mayberry said.

Opposing the recent outdoor bans is Garnet Dawn, founder of the Illinois Smokers Rights group and Midwest regional director for The Smoker's Club, Inc., a New Hampshire-based non-profit dedicated to smokers' rights.

"It's not a health issue," she said. "It's a matter of persecuting what is currently a popularly demonized activity."

Oak Park led the movement to quash smoking in the parks and approved an ordinance in January 2003. Smokers caught violating the ban typically get a warning, but repeat offenders are issued a mandatory court date and fine.

"Many people are not aware they cannot smoke in the park," Police Cmdr. Phyllis Howard said.

Reaction to the ban in Buffalo Grove has been overwhelmingly positive, officials said. Passed in July, the ordinance prohibits smoking on all Park District property, including parking lots. Officials adopted the policy after receiving complaints about second-hand smoke and to set an example for children, said Rick Drazner, vice president of the Park District commission.

So far, no tickets have been issued, said Police Cmdr. Mike Soucy, who concedes that enforcing the ban isn't a priority. Still, officers are ready to give warnings and fines, he said.

"We act only on complaints and we've received none," Soucy said.

Local park patrons such as Christal Christiansen applauded the outdoor ban.

"I think it's a great idea," said Christiansen, 35, as she shepherded her two children to weekly swimming lessons. "I'm an asthmatic, and I don't like to be around smoke."

Robin Halap, 47, a longtime "closet smoker" from Buffalo Grove also likes the new law. Halap said she used to sneak into the woods to light up during Little League games until she gave up the habit three years ago.

"I think it's a great thing that the Park District bans smoking because it's mostly where the children hang out," she said as she dropped her two children off at the Busch Grove Community Park outdoor skating facility.

In Park Ridge, police Officer David Delgado is responsible for enforcing the ban in the village's 20 parks. Delgado usually catches teenagers smoking in the parks at night and with the new ordinance, he's prepared to assess fines starting at $25.

Hoffman Estates smokers are prohibited from lighting up within 50 feet of athletic fields, playgrounds, baseball fields, basketball courts or Park District building entrances.

Smokers who violate the ordinance will receive a warning and be asked to leave. Repeat offenders will have their Park District privileges revoked, district spokeswoman Michele Lengerman said.

The Poplar Creek Country Club is exempt and golfers can still enjoy a smoke as they worry over a shot or visit the bar and grill.

jfrancisco@tribune.com
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