Commissioners approve smoking ban

Even though it seemed as though the board of commissioners was going to designate specific smoking areas in the township’s larger parks, by the end of the night all Upper Moreland parks had become smoke-free.
The board unanimously approved an ordinance that prohibited smoking from all township parks and immediately following the approval of the ordinance, a 3-3 split decision voted down a resolution that would have designated specific smoking areas in the township. With the failure of the resolution no areas were specified.
The months-long discussion started after the parks and recreation advisory council recommended that the board ban smoking to reduce litter in the parks, promote a healthy lifestyle and send a message to the community’s youth.
Although happy with the outcome Commissioner James McKenna said he was upset it took so long to make the decision.
“I can’t believe we wasted so many hours discussing this asinine topic,” he said. “If we designated areas for smokers we would be facilitating smoking and using tax dollars to do so.”
The township’s contribution to the smoking areas would be approximately $5,000 to $6,000 to provide benches, places to throw out cigarette butts and trash cans.
As a former smoker, Jonathan de Jonge, an advisory planning agency member believed there wasn’t even a choice.
“If you wouldn’t go home and offer your kids a pack of cigarettes tonight your answer should be no to this vote,” he said. “Tobacco is a highly addictive substance and if it was just introduced to society today it would not be allowed.”
For Dennis Hurley, also a former smoker, the decision shouldn’t be about constitutional rights, it should be about protecting the younger generations.
“The only nice thing I have heard anyone mention tonight is the kids,” he said. “By designating certain areas we are telling our kids that it’s not OK to smoke here, but if you go over there you’re OK. That isn’t doing anything for them.”
Like half of the commissioners, Pat Stasio, the township’s director of parks and recreation, believed a total ban was the way to go.
“I think we are still inviting everyone to enjoy our parks but we’re asking them to do it in a safe manner,” he said, adding that a complete ban would make the ordinance more enforceable.
For some of the commissioners though, a total ban was too much too soon.
The discussion between the commissioners included personal choice, a person’s right to smoke and the ability to enforce the ban.
“Most areas of our lives are grey and this is one of them,” Commissioner Sam Valenza said. “I think we need to compromise.”
Commissioner Lisa Romaniello agreed.
“I think we’ve taken a big step tonight,” she said, adding that she believes smokers should have the opportunity to appreciate the parks. “We could always go back and change the resolution at a later date. The big thing tonight is that we took a step forward.”
Although the ordinance says the change will take affect five days after it’s voted on, the township will be spending the next several months informing the public about the change and, through pamphlets, work to educate park-goers on why the decision is was made. Stasio said the parks and recreation department would look at implementing the ordinance in early spring.