Marietta bans smoking in Glover Park

The Marietta City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to ban smoking in Marietta Square’s Glover Park.

Council members voted on the ban a week after they received complaints about excessive smoking on the square during a concert. The ban was sponsored by council members Annette Lewis and Holly Walquist.

“I’m very pleased,” Walquist told the Marietta Daily Journal. “I think it’s the first step to make it so that people can come to Glover Park and know that they’re at a park and they can breathe fresh air.”

Not everyone was happy the ban passed.

“I thought it was a free country,” Tavares Copley told WSB. “If a person chooses to smoke, then they should smoke, as long as they’re not inside of a building.”

The ban goes into effect today. Anyone caught smoking in the park could face a fine of up to $500.

Later this month, the council will discuss a smoking ban for all of Marietta’s parks.

Other Georgia governments that ban smoking in parks include Clayton, Tift and Henry counties, the city of Gainseville and the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority.