Town plans to ban smoking in parks, playgrounds

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Maplewood is expected to become the latest town to ban smoking in all its parks and playgrounds.

The restriction, contained in an ordinance that the Township Committee introduced by a 5-0 vote Feb. 7, also applies to recreation areas, the municipal pool and the area immediately around the entrances to municipal buildings.

Repeat offenders could face fines of up to $500. Officials are scheduled to vote Feb. 21 to make the ban effective this spring.

“I think it is long overdue, especially in our town,” Vice Mayor Kathleen M. Leventhal said after the meeting. “The health and environmental issues are going to be helped tremendously.”

A resident helped bring the issue to the attention of the town. Steven Erde said that he contacted officials after an experience he had last year in Memorial Park with his grandchildren.

“I was sitting watching them play, and I just noticed on the ground that the ground was covered in cigarette butts,” he said. “My granddaughter was actually kneeling down playing with them. And it was very troubling.”

Leading up to the ban, the township had the state’s former health commissioner, Fred Jacobs, speak in favor of it at a meeting last month. Erde, who attended Tuesday night’s meeting, called the smoking ban “a great step.”

The township will post signs throughout desginated non-smoking areas alerting people of the proposed change, as well as other publicity to inform residents.

“I think most of the public will support it,” Maplewood health officer Robert D. Roe said Tuesday of the smoking ban. “I think there will be a few people who will be resentful of it. But they need to understand that smoking is very, very bad for your health.”

The American Cancer Society reports an estimated 49,400 nonsmokers die annually of heart disease or lung cancer caused by exposure to second-hand smoke.

Township Committeewoman India R. Larrier said she had some reservations about ordinances that “are very difficult to enforce.” According to the measure, enforcement will be up to the police and health departments.

“I think, for the most part, people are law abiding,” Larrier said. “So if there is an ordinance, I think the majority of the people will abide by it. Those who won’t, I think they will be policed by their neighbors.”

Philip Sean Curran can be reached at 908-686-7700, ext. 116, or at newsrecord@thelocalsource.com.