HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-03-16 Lindsay - City Park Smoking Ban - Public Comment May 3, 2016
Mitch Overton, Parks Director and Bozeman City Commissioners
City of Bozeman
PO Box 1230
Bozeman, Montana 59771-1230
Dear Mr.Overton and City Commissioners,
My name is Jordan Lindsay, I am a senior at Bozeman High School. I am writing to ask you to consider
creating an ordinance in Bozeman to ban smoking in city parks.
Bozeman is a highly desirable place to live,and according to Outside Magazine,The Active Times,
Livability.com and others,a big reason Bozeman is so desirable is because of all the physical outdoor
activities that are available in Bozeman. Parks are a great way to get outside in the city and enjoy
healthy activities!
Recently, a group of middle schoolers from Monforton School went to Kirk Park and found "plenty" of
cigarette butts to pick up as a community service project.
Children watching adults using tobacco in the parks creates the idea for the kids that it's acceptable
behavior. Small children can easily pick up and ingest discarded cigarette butts. The butts themselves
create litter. Second hand smoke is unhealthy and unappealing to many healthy people that would like
to use the parks. There are so many good reasons to eliminate tobacco use in the parks.
From the city's perspective, I think the most powerful one is to maintain that healthy, outdoorsy feel the
city has.
The California EPA Air Resources Board did a study and found that some outdoor concentrations of
nicotine were measured to be just as high as some indoor exposures. According the California EPA,the
U.S. Surgeon General says there is no threshold of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke low
enough to be safe. (http:/Iwww.arb.ca.gov/toxics/ets/outdoor—ets.htm)
Other places have begun to pass ordinances such as the one I'm asking you to consider.
From the University of Minnesota Tobacco free Parks and Recreation Study:
"Park staff have experienced few problems any many benefits with the policies and
overwhelmingly recommend tobacco-free policies to other communities. Interviews
were conducted with 452 of these individuals, representing the 200 largest Minnesota cities, all
Minnesota counties with county parks, and all Minnesota cities with existing tobacco-free park
policies. In communities where tobacco-free park and recreation policies have already been
adopted, an overwhelming majority (88%) of park directors and board members reported the
policies were not very difficult to pass. Study findings also revealed several positive
observations after the policies were implemented: 88% reported no change in park usage, 71%
reported less smoking in parks, and 58% reported cleaner park areas.
Park directors and park board members also offered insight on enforcement and compliance of
tobacco-free park policies. While most directors in communities with no tobacco-free policy had
concerns about enforcing policies, only one-quarter of directors in communities with policies
actually reported having compliance issues." (http://www.tobaccofreeparks.org/research.html)
I have signed a pledge to remain tobacco free as a part of REACT Montana's Tobacco Free
Rodeo Program. I hope you will consider making another step toward making Bozeman
Tobacco Free.
I would be happy to meet with you to discuss this if you would like.
Sincerely,
Jordan Lindsay /
310 East Lincoln
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406)451-2030
Cc: Robin Crough, Clerk of Commission
Also sent via email