Roswell wants to ban smoking in city parks

By Rhonda Cook

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Those who want to smoke in Roswell city parks may be limited to enjoying their tobacco in “designated areas,” their personal cars.

But under the most recent version of a proposed city ordinance, smokers can have their windows open, a big change for the original proposal that required smokers to close the windows of their cars while puffing.

The city council removed that part from the suggested ordinance, saying it went too far, according to Morgan Rodgers, assistant director of the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department, who was on the committee that drafted the new rule.

At the meeting Monday, some council members said they feared people would stay away from city parks if they are left to smoke in a closed car on a hot summer day. Others pointed out the absurdity of requiring that the windows be up in a convertible that had the top down or of  leaving the engine and air conditioning running while they smoked.

So the windows can be open if the ordinance survives two more votes before the council.

Rodgers said there wasn’t an “outcry” that started discussions of a park smoking ban.

“We have always had people, over the years, say ‘I wish you would ban smoking in the park. People shouldn’t be smoking around children,’” Rodgers said.

So the idea evolved over a series of meetings of the city’s recreation commission, which was trying to come up with ideas for promoting healthy activities in Roswell’s 18 parks.

“We already don’t have smoking inside buildings,” Rodgers said. “They just decided to go to the next step and restrict smoking in the park.”

Roswell is not the first metro Atlanta city to want to ban smoking in parks. Marietta already prohibits smoking at its park on the Square, and the Cobb County city is considering expanding the prohibition to other city parks.