Nearly a year after Brookfield trustees declined to pursue a smoking ban in village parks, they may move to limit smoking near ballfields and prohibit smoking in tot lots.
Trustee Michael Towner, who pushed for a complete park smoking ban last June, again pressed the board to consider a total ban at the board’s April 28 meeting, but said he’d agree to a less stringent ban as a compromise.
“Why wouldn’t we regulate smoking [in parks]?” Towner asked. “It infringes on people’s comfort and health.”
Towner noted that the Brookfield National Little League has established a 25-foot no smoking buffer from dugouts, seating areas and the concession stand and that the village’s Playgrounds and Recreation Commission felt that action was adequate for addressing the issue.
“My belief is that we don’t govern that way,” Towner said. “If we want to [limit smoking] we should have an ordinance.”
Towner suggested that at the board’s next meeting on May 12, trustees consider two ordinances-one that bans smoking within 25 feet of all play areas and another that bans smoking completely in parks.
His colleagues on the board, however, said they weren’t prepared to take such a vote in so short a time and there was little support for the total ban on smoking in parks.
“I don’t feel comfortable pursuing this on a fast track,” said Trustee C.P. Hall. “I don’t feel the threat is overly serious in areas such as parks.”
Trustee Yvonne Prause, the board’s liaison to the recreation commission, said she felt the Little League’s ban was sufficient.
“I don’t think it needs to be regulated any further than what we have in force now,” Prause said.
Also declining to support a total ban was Trustee Kit Ketchmark, noting “I don’t see the harm if they want to smoke while walking down a walking path. Smoking is still legal. I think they ought to be able to do it some place.”
Since trustees generally supported the Little League’s smoking restriction, Towner asked that it be codified by law. There also appeared to be some support for extending the smoking ban to tot lots, which are specifically meant as play areas for children under the age of 12.
Tot lots in Brookfield include Creekside Park, Harrison Park, Madison Park, Madlin Park, Maple North Park and Maple South Park.
“I have no problem with the idea of banning smoking in tot lots, but in Kiwanis Park and Ehlert Park, I feel what the Little League has set up covers it,” said Trustee Cathy Colgrass Edwards.
Village President Michael Garvey also appeared to support a tot lot smoking ban, though he said he wasn’t disposed toward supporting an all-out prohibition. However, Garvey said that the board needs to make its position clear one way or the other after referring the matter back to the recreation commission last summer.
“At some point, we need to resolve this issue this year,” said Garvey.
The village board is expected to continue its discussion at the May 12 Committee of the Whole meeting.