Atlanta airs smoking ban for public parks and more

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If you are one of those golfers at Chastain Park or the BobbyJones Golf Course who might light up a cigarette or take a puff on a cigarwhile waiting for the group ahead to take their shots and move out of range,enjoy it while you can, it might not last long.

The Bobby Jones Golf Course in south Buckhead

Or maybe you enjoy a smoke while watching the youth leagues playat one of Buckhead’s Little League parks or are prone to light up whilerelaxing on a bench in Tanyard Creek or Memorial parks with your dog. Thosedays may go up in smoke very soon.
Smoking could soon be banned at Chastain Park, the Bobby JonesGolf Course and just about every other recreational area or public park inBuckhead if City Council approves legislation now before it.  Oh, and Mayor Kasim Reed says he wouldapprove it.
Dist. 6 City Councilman AlexWan, who now represents a section of southeast Buckhead after the recentredistricting, and Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd are co-sponsoring legislation thatwould prohibit puffing on cigarettes, cigars or pipes in “city parks, athleticfields, aquatic areas, golf courses, tennis courses, hiking/walking/bikingtrails, playgrounds, off-leash areas, and spectator and concession areas.”

Alex Wan

Shepherd chairs the council's Community Development and HumanResources Committee and it will discuss the legislation at its next meeting onTuesday.
Theproposed ban in Atlanta would follow similar moves by Alpharetta, Roswell,Duluth and Clayton County, among other local jurisdictions.
The legislation was written for penalties to be consistent withother park violations such as not cleaning up after a dog defecates in thepark. Depending on a judge’s ruling, such penalties can range up to a $1,000fine, six days in jail plus public service.
The Atlanta Police Department would be responsible for issuingcitations, but Wan doesn’t see police enforcement becoming the real deterrentso much as neighbors and park-goers self-policing one another.
Therules would affect hundreds of thousands of people who come to Atlanta's parksfrom intown or the suburbs for concerts and shows, such as those at theChastain Amphitheater. Piedmont Park alone attracts 3 million visits per year,according to a March 2007 study.

Joyce Sheperd

Accordingto an article by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Councilwoman Sheperd said ittook a while for the Parks Department to convince her that a ban is a goodidea. But a couple of incidents — adults lighting up near children at a splashpad in her district, and widespread smoking during the Jazz Festival inPiedmont Park over Memorial Day — changed her mind.
"I'ma park person, and I've seen incident after incident where people were smokingall over the place and not being very respectful," she said. "I'mamazed that people will smoke around children and not think twice aboutit."
"Ithink, generally, there will be support" from the community, GeorgeDusenbury, commissioner of the city's Department of Parks, Recreation andCultural Affairs, told the AJC. "People see parks as places where kidsshould run free."
Wan,whose City Council district also includes Morningside and Virginia-Highland, toldthe AJC  the goal is to increase greenspace and encourage active lifestyles. Smoking runs counter to that, especiallyin kid-centric areas like the skate park in the Historic Fourth Ward Park, hesaid.
InJune, North American Properties and CBRE Global Investors announced thatthey would begin enforcing a smoking ban in public areas of Atlantic Station,its mixed-use development located on 17^th Street in Midtown.
Smoking is no longer permitted in Atlantic Station’s commonareas, including the Central Park green space and sidewalks. Non-smokingpolicies may vary for restaurants with al fresco dining areas. Designatedsmoking areas have been placed around the perimeter of the property in order tocontinue accommodating all guests.