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Village Green Apartments to put out smoke with no smoking policy

10.14.12

Village Green
The Village Green apartments in Glens Falls are seen Friday, October 12, 2012.  by Jason McKibben

October 14, 2012 11:55 pm
By MAURY THOMPSON
Post Star

GLENS FALLS — Village Green Apartments, a federally subsidized housing complex in Glens Falls for low-income individuals and families, is going “smoke free.”

New rules, which take effect Jan. 1, prohibit smoking within apartments, in common areas, within 50 feet of entrances, or anywhere else on the property.

“This is an act (which), when discovered, will result in eviction,” the rules state.

Carrying of a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe also is prohibited anywhere on the property.

“It reduces destruction to the property related to nicotine deposits. It prevents fires. The overall health of our residents is a concern, as well,” said Cindy Irizarry, operations manager for the New York region for Preservation Management, the company that manages the 136-unit apartment complex between Hudson Avenue and Broad Street, near Glens Falls Hospital.

The action at Village Green is part of a national trend the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development began pushing in 2009, said Janine Stuchin, director of the Southern Adirondack Tobacco Free Coalition, an advocacy organization working with the Village Green management on the initiative.

Maine has banned smoking in all public housing complexes in the state, Stuchin said.

The Boston Housing Authority, the largest public housing authority in New England, recently banned smoking at all of its properties.

Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority is banning smoking, effective April 1, Irizarry said.

At Village Green, the process of enacting the ban has been going on for about a year, Stuchin said.

Stuchin said she and Preservation Management officials worked with HUD to rewrite property rules within HUD guidelines.

The new rules were presented to tenants in conjunction with a change in utility costs, and tenants signed statements that they were aware of the new rules, she said.

Signs have been posted encouraging tenants to stop smoking, and the coalition and Glens Falls Hospital have conducted several meetings to inform residents about a state program that assists people who want to stop smoking.

People who call the New York State Smokers’ Quitline — (866) 697-8487 — can receive a free two-week supply of nicotine replacement patches, said Julie Wright, coordinator of the Tobacco Cessation Center at Glens Falls Hospital.

The two-week supply gives people enough time to save up the money they otherwise would spend on cigarettes in order to begin purchasing the patches on their own, she said.

Pre-recorded information, motivational messages and personal coaching also are available when calling the toll-free line.

Some tenants, obviously, were upset by the new no-smoking rule, but she is not aware of any who have moved out specifically because of it, said Irizzary, the regional property manager.

She said others, who prefer not to be exposed to second-hand smoke, are happy about the new rule.

“They have people who are on oxygen. There are cancer survivors. There are children with asthma,” Stuchin said.

In apartment buildings, cigarette smoke can travel under door ways and through air conditioning and ventilation systems, Wright said.

“It’s really a positive thing. We understand that some of the residents who are smokers may not be so happy about it, but it really is in their best interest,” Irizarry said.

Stuchin said the new rule doesn’t discriminate against smokers. It merely prohibits smoking.

“A smoker can be on the property. They just cannot smoke,” she said.

Some private apartment complexes in the region also prohibit smoking.

Glen Street Associates, for example, prohibits smoking at all of its apartments in Glens Falls, South Glens Falls and Hudson Falls, said developer Peter Hoffman.

Initially, it lost some potential tenants because of the policy, but the prohibition is becoming more widespread in the housing market, Hoffman said.

“I think it’s gone to a positive as far as marketing,” he said.

Schermerhorn Properties, which has apartment complexes in Queensbury, Moreau and Kingsbury, prohibits smoking at its senior housing complexes, but not at any of its general properties, said developer Richard Schermerhorn.

Aviation Mall to Go Tobacco Free

03.21.12

Tuesday, March 21, 2012

Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce

Officials at Pyramid Management Group, LLC, owner and operator of 15 shopping malls throughout New York State and Massachusetts — including Aviation Mall in Queensbury — announced today that all of their properties will be 100 percent tobacco-free on May 31, 2012. Pyramid has been working with regional tobacco control partnerships funded by the NYS Tobacco Control Program and the American Cancer Society on implementation of the new policy.

“We strongly believe this new policy will not only support our employees and guests who are sensitive to secondhand smoke or are trying to quit smoking, but it also will provide a more enjoyable and healthier shopping experience to the millions of visitors who come through our doors each year,” said James L. Soos, Director of Asset Management, Pyramid Management Group.

The tobacco-free policy includes any and all tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco) and any other similar substances or instruments that are lit or burning such as electronic cigarettes. This tobacco-free policy is inclusive of entire properties, both inside and outside, including all entry points, hallways, sidewalks, loading dock areas, parking lots and construction areas. It applies to all mall associates, tenant employees, vendors, delivery people, contractors, subcontractors and guests.

“We congratulate Aviation Mall for launching a new healthy and safe environment free from the threat of secondhand smoke.  Together with the communities of Glens Falls and Queensbury which have some of the strongest tobacco-free outdoor policies in the state, we are partnering to establish a region for families to work, play and now shop together without the danger that tobacco poses especially for our most vulnerable,” said Matthew Andrus, Communications Coordinator for the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition.

“This policy means shoppers and their kids won’t have to walk a gauntlet of harmful secondhand smoke just to enter a mall,” said Alvaro Carrascal, Senior Vice President of Cancer Control, American Cancer Society of NY & NJ. “Secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen with no safe level of exposure. Mall employees who smoke also will benefit from on-site resources that will help them quit.”

To raise awareness of the new policy, on Kick Butts Day (Wednesday, March 21st), members of Reality Check from Queensbury High School will be tabling at Aviation Mall from 2-5pm where they will be educating customers and youth alike on the ever present dangers of tobacco marketing found in retail stores and in the media. Pyramid will be providing opportunities for mall employees to obtain smoking cessation information and counseling.  Signage provided by the local tobacco control coalitions will be posted around mall property to alert employees and shoppers about the new policy.

The first mall in the Pyramid family to go smoke-free was the Carousel Center in Syracuse in 2007. Successful implementation at that facility led to the corporate-wide expansion of the policy. With implementation of the new policy, Carousel Center will become tobacco-free.

More information about the new policy may be found here.

For information on how to quit smoking, call the New York State Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487). For cancer information anytime, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or log onto cancer.org.

###

About Pyramid Management Group, LLC:

Pyramid Management Group, LLC, headquartered in Syracuse, NY, is the largest privately owned shopping center owner and developer in the northeast. The portfolio consists of 17 properties in New York and Massachusetts.  With over 40 years of continued innovation, their ongoing success can be attributed to the unique combination of geographically centered sites, tremendous highway visibility, and an unmatched mix of new and exciting retailers.  Additional information regarding Pyramid can be found at www.pyramidmg.com.

 

About the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition:

The Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition (SATFC) is a grassroots coalition of local agencies and individuals committed to creating a tobacco-free environment. SATFC has been serving the Adirondack region for ten years with resources for stopping smoking, media campaigns on the danger of secondhand smoke and initiatives in preventing tobacco use among youth. SATFC serves a three county region of the Adirondacks including Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. SATFC is located in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Coalition is funded by the New York State Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program.

About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

 

Crossgates, Aviation Mall to go tobacco-free May 31

03.20.12

March 20, 2012

The Saratogian

QUEENSBURY — Aviation Mall and Crossgates Mall are both going tobacco-free May 31.

Both malls are owned by Pyramid Management Group LLC, the company will ban smoking at all 15 of its properties in New York and Massachusetts by May 31, according to a press release issued by the company Tuesday.

“We strongly believe this new policy will not only support our employees and guests who are sensitive to secondhand smoke or are trying to quit smoking, but it also will provide a more enjoyable and healthier shopping experience to the millions of visitors who come through our doors each year,” said James L. Soos, Director of Asset Management, Pyramid Management Group.

The tobacco-free policy includes any and all tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco) and any other similar substances or instruments that are lit or burning such as electronic cigarettes. This tobacco-free policy is inclusive of entire properties, both inside and outside, including all entry points, hallways, sidewalks, loading dock areas, parking lots and construction areas. It applies to all mall associates, tenant employees, vendors, delivery people, contractors, subcontractors and guests.

Pyramid has been working with regional tobacco control partnerships funded by the NYS Tobacco Control Program and the American Cancer Society on implementation of the new policy.

“We congratulate Aviation Mall for launching a new healthy and safe environment free from the threat of secondhand smoke. Together with the communities of Glens Falls and Queensbury which have some of the strongest tobacco-free outdoor policies in the state, we are partnering to establish a region for families to work, play and now shop together without the danger that tobacco poses especially for our most vulnerable,” said Matthew Andrus, Communications Coordinator for the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition.

In addition to Aviation Mall and Crossgates Mall, other New York State malls covered by the new tobacco-free policy include:

Carousel Center – Syracuse (became smoke-free in 2007, will be tobacco-free)

Champlain Centre – Plattsburgh

Galleria at Crystal Run – Middletown

Palisades Center – West Nyack

Poughkeepsie Galleria – Poughkeepsie

Salmon Run Mall – Watertown

Sangertown Square – New Hartford

The Shops at Ithaca Mall – Ithaca

Walden Galleria – Buffalo

Massachusetts malls include:

Berkshire Mall – Lanesborough

Independence Mall – Kingston

Hampshire Mall – Hadley

Holyoke Mall at Ingleside – Holyoke

“This policy means shoppers and their kids won’t have to walk a gauntlet of harmful secondhand smoke just to enter a mall,” said Alvaro Carrascal, Senior Vice President of Cancer Control, American Cancer Society of NY & NJ. “Secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen with no safe level of exposure. Mall employees who smoke also will benefit from on-site resources that will help them quit.”

To raise awareness of the new policy, on Kick Butts Day (Wednesday, March 21st), members of Reality Check from Queensbury High School will be tabling at Aviation Mall from 2-5pm where they will be educating customers and youth alike on the ever present dangers of tobacco marketing found in retail stores and in the media.

Pyramid will be providing opportunities for mall employees to obtain smoking cessation information and counseling. Signage provided by the local tobacco control coalitions will be posted around mall property to alert employees and shoppers about the new policy.

The first mall in the Pyramid family to go smoke-free was the Carousel Center in Syracuse in 2007. Successful implementation at that facility led to the corporate-wide expansion of the policy. With implementation of the new policy, Carousel Center will become tobacco-free.

56 Percent Think Tobacco Products Should Not Be Visible in Stores

09.19.11

Posted by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce
Monday, September 19, 2011 at 5:06 p.m.

As children return to school this month across the Capital Region, a coalition of tobacco-free organizations released the results of a Summer Community Survey conducted by Siena Research Institute (SRI) across 17 counties in the Capital Region showing overwhelming support for restrictions on tobacco sales to protect our children from tobacco marketing.

Research in the U.S. and abroad suggests that exposure to in-store tobacco promotions is a primary cause of youth smoking. Very few adult smokers begin after high school, with 90 percent of adult smokers starting at or before age 18.

Analysis provided by SRI concluded that two thirds of the residents of the 17 county capital region, and no fewer than 60% in each county say that tobacco products should not be sold in stores that are located near schools.  58% of residents support regulations banning the sale of tobacco products in stores that are located near schools.   56% think that tobacco products should not even be visible in stores.

“It’s very evident from this survey that Capital Region residents want to get tobacco products and their marketing out of view and that the sale of cigarettes should not be near schools.  We know that the more tobacco marketing that our children see, the more likely they are to smoke,” stated Judy Rightmyer, Director of the Capital District Tobacco Free Coalition.

In-store promotions are a major cause of youth smoking.  A National Cancer Institute study concluded that exposure to cigarette advertising causes nonsmoking adolescents to initiate smoking and to move toward becoming regular smokers.  Another study found young people are more likely to be influenced by cigarette advertising than by peer or parental smoking.  A 2008 analysis found a direct relationship between increased teen smoking and the density of tobacco retailers around schools, while a paper published earlier this year found a direct relationship between the frequency that a kid visited stores containing tobacco advertising and his or her risk of becoming a smoker.

“Tobacco advertisements are everywhere. I can’t purchase my items in peace knowing others are resting in peace because of these products. I don’t want to be targeted anymore,” said Jamie Bates, Saratoga County Reality Check member.

As a result of the recent Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FDA law) and the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), retail stores are one of the last places where tobacco companies can expose children to their advertising.  Consequently, tobacco companies spend billions of dollars each year marketing their deadly products at the point of sale.  This is done by controlling dominant display space in retail stores and through in-store advertising.  Both are typically found around the cash register, sometimes referred to within the industry as the “goal post” because it is the one place in the store where everyone must go.  Tobacco companies invest a lot at these locations in creating so-called “power walls,” large, visually appealing displays of products intended to attract the interest of customers.

Finally, 58% of respondents support a requirement in New York State similar to Ontario, Canada.  Since May of 2008 the Smoke-Free Ontario Act requires that, no person shall display or permit the display of tobacco products in any place where tobacco products are sold or offered for sale in any manner that will permit a consumer to view any tobacco product before purchasing the tobacco.  Already, major supermarket chains in the region such as Price Chopper and Hannaford have or are beginning to voluntarily remove tobacco products from display and place them in secure, discreet cabinets.

“The results are indisputable.   Capital Region residents no longer want to be bombarded with tobacco imagery and would rather remove tobacco products completely out of sight where they shop,” said Matthew Andrus of the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition.

SRI conducted six separate surveys this summer on behalf of the six Tobacco-Free Coalitions working within a 17 county area in the Capital Region.  All 5,969 total respondents are representative of the seventeen county universes and were weighted to reflect the relative population.  The data that SRI reports across the 17 county area has a margin of error of +/- 1.3% at the 95% confidence level.

The individual counties surveyed were: Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington.   For questions regarding methodology and analysis please contact Dr. Don Levy at SRI, 518-783-2901 or dlevy@siena.edu

About the Community Partners: The Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition, Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition, Project Action, Rip Van Winkle Tobacco-Free Coalition, Rural Three for Tobacco-Free Communities and Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition are a group of grassroots coalitions of local agencies and individuals committed to creating a tobacco-free environment.  The partners are all grant funded programs from the New York State Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program.  Together they work to decrease the social acceptability of tobacco use, eliminate exposure to second hand smoke and prevent the initiation of tobacco use among youth and young adults.   For more information on the partners and their programs, go to:

Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition

Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition

Project Action

Rip Van Winkle Tobacco-Free Coalition

Rural Three for Tobacco-Free Communities

Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition

About the Siena Research Institute: Founded in 1980 at Siena College in Latham, New York, the Siena Research Institute (SRI) conducts regional, statewide and national surveys on business, economic, political, voter, social, academic and historical issues. The surveys include both expert and public opinion polls.  The results of SRI surveys have been published in major regional and national newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, as well as in scholarly journals, books and an encyclopedia.

Point of Sale and Youth Tobacco Use Facts:

  • Tobacco companies spend billions each year to market their deadly products in convenience stores, grocery stores and pharmacies.  In 2006, tobacco companies spent $12.5 billion nationally on advertising promotions and price discounts for wholesalers and retailers.
  • Stores are one of the last venues where tobacco advertising can influence youth to begin smoking.  Ads on TV, radio and billboards are banned, as well as cartoon characters, sponsorships and giveaways. Magazine advertising is restricted to predominantly adult-oriented publications. In-store advertising, promotions and product displays remain.
  • Although many adults are not aware of the effect of in-store tobacco ads on youth, research shows that exposure to tobacco marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking.
  • In-store tobacco ads are located to entice youth.  Ads are often placed near candy and toys, and on the front of counters less than five feet in height.
  • Weekly or more frequent exposure to retail tobacco marketing is associated with a 50 percent increase in the odds that adolescents will ever smoke, according to the American Journal of Public Health.
  • In an Australian study, ninth graders were shown digitally-manipulated photos of a retail cash register area.  Compared to the students shown photos with no cigarettes, those exposed to photos displaying cigarette advertising and pack displays thought it would be easier to purchase cigarettes, and were better able to recall specific cigarette brands.
  • Methods tobacco companies use to market in stores:
    • Payments and incentives to retailers to prominently display tobacco products.
    • In store advertising.
    • Large tobacco product displays called “power walls” that function as a subtle form of advertising, conveying the message that cigarettes are popular and desirable.
    • Price discounts.
  • Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.  In New York, tobacco kills more than 25,000 people a year.
  • The New York State youth (ages 12 – 17) smoking rate is 8.2 percent.
  • The New York State smoking rate for high school students is 14.8%.
  • 90 percent of adult smokers began at or before age 18. Very few begin after high school.
  • Tobacco is not a normal consumer product – it kills when used as intended.
  • Communities can reduce youth exposure to tobacco advertising in stores by banning the display of tobacco products and restricting the location and number of licensed tobacco retailers.

Survey finds local support for broader clean air laws

08.23.11

August 23, 2011
Post Star

A recent survey commissioned by the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition found overwhelming support for broader clean indoor air laws in Saratoga, Washington and Warren counties.

The survey, which was conducted by the Siena Research Institute, found high levels of support for expanding clean indoor air laws to playgrounds, municipal pools, entryways, public beaches and public parks. Support is highest for playgrounds.

Support in each county ranged from 52 to 83 percent for stricter laws in those areas.

The survey was conducted from June 20 to 23 using a random sample.

This year, several municipalities have established or expanded laws related to tobacco-free outdoor areas. The towns of Granville and Northumberland enacted tobacco-free policies for their municipal properties. Recently, the city of Glens Falls imposed a smoking ban in its public parks that carries fines and possible jail time.

“The research shows that not only are Glens Falls, Granville and Northumberland ahead of the curve in protecting their residents by creating healthy communities in which to live, work and play but that residents overwhelmingly support such measures,” Matthew Andrus, spokesman for the tobacco-free coalition, said in a statement.

 

Glens Falls smoking ban aims to clear the air

08.18.11

August 18, 2011
By MAURY THOMPSON
Post Star

GLENS FALLS — Jeff Steves was among a group of young adults that were smoking cigarettes in Glens Falls City Park on Tuesday afternoon, about 40 feet from a sign that states smoking in the park is prohibited.

Steves, a 23-year-old from Fort Edward, said that when he was smoking in City Park the evening before, a Glens Falls Police officer approached him and told him that smoking is prohibited in the park and a new local law taking effect soon would have stiff penalties for smoking in the park.

Steves on Tuesday said he intended to keep smoking in City Park until the new law took effect.

“Well, it’s not in effect yet,” Steves said, speaking with a Post-Star reporter.

He didn’t have long to wait.

The city announced Wednesday that the process of filing the local law with the state Department of State was complete, and the law was effective.

The law, which the city Common Council enacted Aug. 9, prohibits smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes or any form of tobacco products in or on any city-owned parks, beaches, pools, recreation centers, playgrounds, outdoor stages or the sidewalks immediately adjoining such places.

The goal of the law is twofold: to protect public health and to reduce litter, said 5th Ward Councilman Bennet Driscoll.

“It cost money and man hours to go back and maintain other people’s waste,” he said.

Those convicted of violating the law can be fined up to $250 or jailed for up to 15 days or both.

A state law banning smoking in public buildings carries a steeper fine – $1,000 – but no jail time.

The new local law continues a city effort to reduce smoking in parks.

The city banned smoking in city parks about two years ago by a Common Council resolution, but there was no penalty for smoking.

City officials said they enacted a formal local law with penalties because the politely worded signs they placed in parks two years ago were being ignored.

“What we are trying to do is ensure the quality of life in our parks and recreational areas,” said Glens Falls Mayor John “Jack” Diamond.

The signs that have been up in parks for about two years state: “This is a smoke-free park. Tobacco use is not allowed. Thank you. City of Glens Falls.”

Meghan Pussafiume, who was part of the group that was smoking in City Park on Tuesday, claimed she had never noticed the no-smoking signs in several places in City Park.

“I haven’t seen them,” she said.

Pussafiume, 20, from Hudson Falls, said that instead of prohibiting smoking outright in parks, the city should have designated smoking areas.

But that would still leave open the possibility of secondhand smoke being blown outside the designated area, said Julie Wright, program coordinator for the Tobacco Cessation Center of Glens Falls Hospital.

“There’s no safe level of secondhand smoke,” she said.

Children with asthma and adults with health complications can be particularly vulnerable.

“We know that it can trigger an asthma attack,” she said. “We know that somebody can smell a cigarette and it affects the blood vessels. And that can trigger a heart attack or a stroke.”

Pussafiume, the Hudson Falls woman, said the threat of getting arrested would keep her from smoking in City Park, but she planned to stop smoking anyway because she is pregnant.

City officials said they don’t expect any actual arrests to be made under the law.

The main thrust is to make their education efforts more effective with the threat of arrest.

“It’s not our priority to go out and chase around people who are smoking. However, we felt we needed something with a little teeth in it,” Diamond said.

“I don’t think that (City Court) judges Tarantino or Hobbs are going to be seeing any smoking violators in their court. … Again, our job is to educate,” Driscoll said.

Diamond said Assistant City Attorney Karen Judd wrote the local law, with the language and penalties based on similar smoking bans in other municipalities.

Judd was away from the office and unavailable to comment this week, said an associate at her office.

More than 300 municipalities in New York have prohibited smoking, either by resolution or formal law, at some or all parks, according the American Cancer Society.

In Warren County, smoking is prohibited at all parks, playgrounds, outdoor recreation facilities and beaches in Glens Falls, Queensbury and Lake George village, and at beaches in Bolton.

In Washington County, smoking is prohibited at all parks, playgrounds, outdoor recreational facilities and beaches in Whitehall and Fort Edward, and at Derby Park in Hudson Falls.

A Post-Star review of other Glens Falls local laws found that the penalties of the new smoking ban are the same as a local law banning open burning. Driscoll said he was uncertain whether that is coincidental.

Maximum penalties for violating the city’s noise ordinance, nuisance abatement law or building code are all steeper than the new smoking law.

Someone convicted of a building code violation, for example, can be sentenced to up to a year in jail.

Public health advocates have praised the city’s new smoking ban.

“Despite all the buzz and hyperbole, smoking in a public park is not a right or symbol of freedom. It’s a toxic activity that can cause harm to everyone,” Blair Horner, vice president of advocacy for the American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey, wrote in a letter to the editor of The Post-Star.

Wright, of Glens Falls Hospital, said the health risk isn’t just with the smoke itself, but also with children seeing people smoking.

“If you reduce the amount of modeled behavior that they see … it does significantly reduce the chance that they will grow up and become smokers,” she said.

If the city is going to prohibit smoking in parks, it makes sense to have enforcement measures, said Daniel Burke, chairman of the Glens Falls Business Improvement District board.

Glens Falls park, playground smoking ban takes effect

08.17.11

Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 3:07 pm
By MAURY THOMPSON
Post Star

GLENS FALLS — A local law banning smoking at city-owned parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities in Glens Falls is now in effect, said City Clerk Robert Curtis on Wednesday.

The law prohibits smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes or any form of tobacco products at any city-owned parks, beaches, pools, outdoor sporting arenas, outdoor stages or on the sidewalks adjoining such places.

Any person convicted of violating the law can be punished by a fine of up to $250 or imprisonment of up to 15 days or both.

City officials said the intent is to use the weight of the law as a deterrent to smoking in parks, not to be punitive.

“What we are trying to do is ensure the quality of life in our parks and recreational areas. We’re not looking to put anyone in jail,” said Mayor John “Jack” Diamond.

“I think that the law is going to take care of itself,” said 5th Ward Councilman Bennet Driscoll.

Glens Falls Police do not plan any targeted enforcement efforts, but will watch during routine patrols for people smoking and notify them of the law, said Captain Robert Ash.

“Sometimes a verbal warning will be enough. … If a verbal warning is not enough, we’ll have to issue an appearance ticket,” he said.

Ash said police will investigate any complaints of people smoking in parks, the same as they would with any other complaints.

The city Common Council unanimously enacted the law on Aug. 9, to be effective as soon as the process of filing it with the state Department of State was complete.

The Department of State notified the city on Wednesday that the process was completed on Monday, Curtis said.

Glens Falls lights up smokers’ anger

08.14.11

August 14, 2011
Post Star Editorial
By Ken Tingley

A controversy is smoldering in Glens Falls.

The Common Council quietly passed a law this past Monday that gave teeth to a previous no-smoking ban for city-owned parks, pools, beaches, playgrounds and other outdoor recreation areas.

The previous ban had no penalties. This law says that those convicted can be punished by a fine of up to $250, or imprisonment of up to 15 days, or both.

That startled some people and enraged others.

There seemed to be a vision of the Glens Falls Police Department backing up the paddy wagon to City Park and hauling off violators en masse.

Perhaps some pictured undercover officers leaping from bushes to snatch the offending matches and confiscate “your stuff” as evidence.

Imagine what it would be like doing time in the county pokey:

“What you in for?”

“Assault with a deadly weapon. How about you?

“Smoking a cigarette in the park.”

Glens Falls’ tough-as-nails stand on crime would be cemented.

“OK buddy, drop that cigar or I’m going to shoot.”

The story has become the most commented-on story on poststar.com, with comments sure to surpass 100 by the time you read this.

So, while the stock market crashed this past week, smokers burned over a park cigarette ban.

File this in the much ado about nothing file. The Common Council was simply trying to maintain its recreational areas for the enjoyment of everyone without having to constantly pick up cigarette butts.

But promoting a 15-day jail sentence in black and white sent the incense-burning mobs into a frenzied defense of their personal freedoms.

Some are talking of organizing and meeting in City Park in Glens Falls for a mass smoking demonstration as a display of civil disobedience.

You can’t help but wonder if this is how the London riots got started.

Still, it is hard to imagine a smoking infraction that would warrant a 15-day stint behind bars.

Seems like you would have to burn down the gazebo or regularly light road flares at the entrance to Crandall library to draw such disdain.

Often, the language of these laws is meant to show that the city means business.

Downtown, and City Park in particular, are as beautiful now as they have ever been. Most days I walk through, there are few people and I don’t ever remember seeing anyone smoking.

I find most smokers these days to be sensitive about their secondhand smoke.

But there are always a few that are not.

I don’t believe we will have to worry about overcrowding in the city jail any time soon.

There is still enough air for everyone.

Ken Tingley is the editor of The Post-Star and may be reached via email at tingley@poststar.com. You can read his blog “The Front Page” daily at www.poststar.com or his updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kentingley.

Granville to Snuff Out Smoking on Village Grounds

03.01.11

March 3, 2011
By Mark Mulholland
WNYT News Channel 13

GRANVILLE – With a few swings of a sledgehammer, the village of Granville has a new law.

As the signs being pounded into the ground Tuesday afternoon say, it’s now illegal to smoke on village grounds, including parks, playgrounds, museums and outside village hall, even in your car.

The mayor says the village offers a lot of outdoor events and smoke was casting a cloud over them. People were having trouble enjoying the free outdoor concerts in Veteran’s Park because others were smoking.

“Last summer, some folks came to me and said, ‘Mayor, there’s people smoking near us, we’re reluctant to ask anybody to move,'” says Jay Niles, village mayor.

So the village board worked with the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition and adopted a law that makes smoking on village grounds illegal.

“We didn’t want to consider smoking areas. We wanted to say either we’re going to be smoke-free or we’re not.”

Mayor Niles says village police will warn smokers at first, but second-time offenders could be fined a hundred bucks.

As she walked and smoked a cigarette in Granville Tuesday afternoon, Brenda Loveland says laws restricting smokers are going too far. “We work for a living, we buy our own cigarettes. It ain’t like the state’s buying them for us. It’s our money we’re wasting. So be a little lenient on us.”

Mayor Niles expected the new law to be put to the test Tuesday night when village court is in session. He says it’s common for court attendees to smoke outside village hall.

No Tobacco Signs at Saratoga Recreation Center

02.12.11

By Ashe Reardon
February 12, 2011 2:41 PM
CBS6- WRGB

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Recreation Department has begun posting no smoking signs around the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center.The signs, which read “This is a Tobacco-Free Recreation Site”, have been placed at the front and back doors of the recreation center.CBS6 Fact Finders have compiled the following list of public places that ban tobacco.

In Schenectady County, Niskayuna’s parks are all smoke free. Same with Rotterdam and Scotia. In Schenectady City, there is a tobacco ban for all municipal pools and tiny tot land in Central Park.

In Albany County, Green Island and Voorheesville ban smoking in all public areas of parks and playgrounds. In Rensselaer County’s Sand Lake, there is no smoking in any town park or on the town beach. Moreau in Saratoga County has a similar ban.Also in Saratoga County, Clifton Parks’ three outdoor pools are smoke free. And the Saratoga Lake Waterfront Park is entirely smoke-free.

In Warren County, Glens Falls and Queensbury are smoke-free. In Washington County,the town and village of Fort Edward prohibit tobacco at playgrounds.

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