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--> --> Smoking ban added to some park sites Allison Torrey of San Francisco takes a smoke break Monday in Lithia Park. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Smokers can no longer light up at the Ashland Skate Park, the Darex Family Ice Rink arena, the Daniel Meyer Swimming Pool or at the swimming hole and beach area on upper Granite Street. The Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission voted on Monday night to ban smoking in some park areas, but decided against an all-out ban throughout the parks system. People who violate the ban could be subject to a $250 fine. The commission took up the issue after the Ashland City Council earlier this month adopted an ordinance requiring tobacco vendors to acquire a city license to sell the product, and banning vending machines in certain areas and most self-serve tobacco sales. Questions about smoking in city parks arose during council discussions. Speaking at the parks meeting, Ashland Police Department Officer Teri DeSilva - who regularly patrols city parks - said many parents and other residents have voiced concerns about smoking, especially at the skate park. Under state law, officers can cite people under the age of 18 who are smoking, but no park regulation existed to ban smoking by those 18 and older at the skate park. Ben Benjamin, the only resident to speak on the issue at the meeting, said smoking should be banned in all park areas. "The danger to people from second-hand smoke is very well documented and should not be ignored ... I urge you to take a strong stand for the health of the people," Benjamin said. Commissioner Sally Jones echoed those sentiments in advocating for a ban throughout the parks system, except at the Oak Knoll Public Golf Course, which is operated by the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department. She said parks commissioners could send a message about the importance of healthy lifestyles, while also protecting non-smoking park visitors from second-hand smoke. "It would be a fantastic, wonderful gesture. It (smoking) is of epidemic proportions," Jones said. However, Commissioner Rick Landt said park visitors already encounter signs that list numerous prohibited activities. "I'm reluctant to add another `no' to those signs if we can avoid it," Landt said. He suggested the parks department install a sign asking people not to smoke at the skate park. Signs asking people to not smoke voluntarily already have been installed at the ice rink and swimming pool, although police have been unable to enforce the no-smoking request because no park regulation existed to officially ban smoking in those areas, according to parks staff. Advocating for a ban only in high-use areas popular with children, Commissioner Laurie MacGraw said the commission would be overstepping by adopting a wider ban. "I just don't feel it's our right at this time to pass a rule against smoking in all parks," MacGraw said. The commission debated whether to ban smoking in all children's playgrounds, including those at Lithia and Garfield Parks, but decided against that move. Commissioners JoAnne Eggers, Jones and MacGraw voted in favor of the ban in four park areas, while Landt opposed the ban. Commissioner Jim Lewis was absent from the meeting. Any residents opposed to the ban can appeal to the city council for amendment or repeal, according to parks staff. In other business, the parks commission: · raised the fee for playing 18 holes of golf during the summer at the Oak Knoll Public Golf Course from $20 to $22, while keeping all other fees the same; · voted to convert from electrical to natural gas heating systems in restrooms at the Hunter and YMCA City Parks in order to conserve electricity and save on heating bills; · heard the parks department had won a Southwest Oregon Chapter American Institute of Architects People's Choice Award for the restoration of Ashland Creek along Calle Guanajuato following the 1997 flood. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing