Should town ban smoking in Bluffton parks?

If you are at the park with your kids and someone lights up a cigarette nearby, you have a choice.

You can either scoop the children up and find a new place to play or stick it out and subject them to the risks of secondhand smoke.

Sometime soon, you may not have to make that choice.

Bluffton officials are considering developing an ordinance that could restrict smoking in the town's public parks.

Melanie Harris, who was pushing her young son on the swings at Dubois Park last week, said she supports the idea.

"I love the park. We try to get out here as often as we can when the weather is nice," she said.

And while it's not often that people smoke near the playground area, when it does happen, "it kind of ruins the fun a little bit," Harris said.

Local mom Sherice Strong echoed that sentiment, saying last week that banning smoking at parks "sounds like a pretty great idea."

"I understand that you can't tell (adults) not to smoke - I smoked for years. But it would be nice if it was kept away from kids," she said.

Town councilwoman Karen Lavery raised the issue at a recent council meeting.

"All of a sudden I've been getting complaints about smoking in the public parks around the children," she said. "We need to address it."

Mayor Lisa Sulka said she has also had calls from residents about the issue.

The town banned smoking in indoor public spaces such as restaurants in 2006.

But restrictions on outdoor smoking are "currently not in any of our ordinances or park rules," town manager Marc Orlando said last week.

He said his staff, with guidance from the council, could draft a new ordinance to be introduced as early as next month.

Councilman Larry Toomer said, "I don't think this something we should wait on. Let's just put (an ordinance) together and get some signs made. ... I don't know if we need to study it and workshop it too much."

Megan Hicks, executive director of the South Carolina Tobacco-Free Collaborative, said Monday that her organization supports restrictions on smoking in outdoor public spaces.

"There is still harm from secondhand smoke exposure even if you are outside," she said.

"Also, we want (adults to) model healthy behavior for kids. And keeping them away from tobacco helps do that," she said.

Keeping smoking away from parks also reduces litter from cigarette butts, Hicks added.

Just how restrictive a potential ordinance would be remains unclear. The council would have to decide whether to include only parks, or all town-maintained public areas such as sidewalks and parking lots.

Toomer said, "Children and smoking just don't mix."

But he added that he is "not sure (smoking is) really a problem in places where there aren't children's playgrounds."

Travis Davies, who was taking a smoke break on a Calhoun Street sidewalk last week, agreed.

He said restrictions should be limited to parks and other areas where children congregate.

"I'm all for keeping smoking away from kids, but there have to be places outside where people can smoke if they want to."

IN OTHER AREAS

In Beaufort, Hilton Head Island and Port Royal, smoking is banned in indoor spaces such as offices, government buildings, bars and restaurants.

But there are no restrictions smoking in parks. In 2013, the Beaufort County Council nixed a proposal that would have implemented those restrictions.

Statewide there are a handful of municipalities that do restrict smoking in parks and beaches.

Those are Atlantic Beach, Cheraw, Clover, Hartsville, Lexington, Saluda County, Sumter, Surfside Beach, Tega Cay, and Williamston, according to information from the South Carolina Tobacco-Free Collaborative.

Follow reporter Lucas High on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Lucas.

Related content:

• Ban on smoking in parks nixed; rules for leashes, grilling still possible in Beaufort parks, July 9, 2013.
• Bluffton passes its own smoking ban, Dec. 13, 2006.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Should town ban smoking in Bluffton parks?."