Smoking may soon be banned in Kent parks.
The City Council’s Parks and Human Services Committee on May 18 unanimously approved an ordinance restricting smoking and tobacco use in city parks. The full council is expected to vote on the measure at its June 6 meeting.
The aim of the ban is to increase health and wellness, said Julie Parascondola, Kent’s director of parks, recreation and community services.
“When you are in a park, we want people just to breathe in and have the experience, be in a healthy environment and have that behavioral change,” she said. “We know (smoking) is still going to occur at times. If we can influence anything to just avoid or not smoke, it is so much better for people’s health. It just aligns directly with our mission.”
The Parks Department already has a policy prohibiting smoking or tobacco use on or near city athletic fields, but it only applies to youth games or practices and not to all park properties.
The smoking ban would also bring Kent in line with other cities, including Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila and Seattle, which have made their parks smoke free.
“The city of Kent is actually a little behind this trend,” Parascondola said. “When you look up and down I-5 and all of our colleagues, most of them have some type of tobacco or smoking restriction or ban, whether it is by ordinance or voluntary. Kent just hasn’t moved there yet.”
If approved, the ban wouldn’t be enforced until mid-August, giving city staff time to notify the community about the change.
People who violate the ordinance could face a $50 fine.
“In order for an officer to issue a ticket they have to catch the person smoking in the park,” assistant city attorney Tammy White told the committee. “It is really unlikely to happen. It is really more of a social enforcement.”
Park signage and information cards will help spread word of the new ordinance.
“Because this a higher profile change in the parks we are going to have individual signs placed in key locations – mostly where people gather,” Parascondola said. “You wont see the park plastered with signs, but they will be on entry ways or play equipment areas.”
The signs won’t be permanent.
“In parks, we like to promote more of a natural image,” Parascondola said. “We don’t want our parks signed as heavily. We will probably keep these signs up for one to two years and then slowly start phasing them out into the general rules like alcohol and fireworks.”
City crews will also remove cigarette receptacles from parks.
“We don’t want to send mixed messages,” Parascondola said.
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