Park smoking ban vote delayed

By Dan Petrella
July 19, 2007

Riverside, IL - An effort to ban smoking in Riverside’s parks stalled Monday when the Village Board decided not to vote on a law that would prohibit smoking in most public parks.

The ordinance before the board at Monday’s meeting would have only banned smoking in parks that are under the authority of the Parks and Recreation Board.

Those parks include Big Ball Park, Blythe Park, Harrington Park, Indian Gardens Park, Patriots Park, Turtle Park, Swan Pond and the unnamed triangle of land between Longcommon, Evelyn and Downing roads. Under the proposed law, smoking would still be allowed in other public green space, except in seating areas.

“It’s a formula for difficulty and confusion among the residents,” Trustee Thomas Shields said. “I think the piecemeal approach is the problem.”

Riverside resident Donald Spatny has opposed the ban since it was first proposed.

“Tonight you’re about to enact what I would call another unenforceable law,” he told the board during public comment at the beginning of the meeting.

Trustee Kevin Smith, who has pushed to prohibit smoking in the parks since the village adopted a smoking ban Dec. 4, said the proposed law would have been more consistent than the current law, which only bans smoking in play and seating areas in parks.

“This covers most areas where people will be actively involved in recreation,” he said.

The board directed village staff to draft a new law that would ban smoking in all public parkland.

“If we say that we’re proud of our parks not just because they’re part of our legacy, but because they represent a commitment to healthful living, then we have to (ban smoking in all parks),” Trustee Jean Sussman said.
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Rec board wants smoking ban in Riverside parks
Would toughen law already on the books

5/15/07
By BOB UPHUES

If you're smoking, you soon may not be welcome in most Riverside parks. On the heels of a sweeping smoking ban passed by the village in 2006, Riverside's Playgrounds and Recreation Commission is now recommending that smoking be banned in all of the parks under its jurisdiction, including Big Ball Park, Blythe Park, Harrington Park, Indian Gardens, Patriots Park, Turtle Park, Swan Pond Park and the unnamed triangle at Longcommon, Evelyn and Downing roads.

The commission on April 23 unanimously accepted the ban, which will be passed on to the Village Board of Trustees, which can accept or reject the recommendation. The board is expected to discuss the recommendation at its Committee of the Whole meeting on June 4.
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