Sugar City considering a smoking/vaping ban in city parks

SUGAR CITY — The Sugar City Council is considering banning smoking/vaping in its parks thanks to the efforts of the state’s Project Filter program.

The city’s Public Works Director Arlynn Jacobson discussed the program with the council during its Feb. 27 meeting. He told the council that Idaho Department of Public Health/Project Filter officials are visiting with Gem State city councils in hopes they’ll create smoke-free zones in public parks.

According to the Idaho Tobacco Prevention and Control Program webpage, Project Filter is the state’s agency working to educate Idahoans on how tobacco damages the lungs.

“Project Filter’s mission is to help everyone who wants to quit commercial tobacco succeed at that goal,” it said.

While there are bans against alcohol in Sugar City parks, there are no city codes prohibiting someone from smoking in one. The hope is that by creating such a ban against smoking/vaping in city parks, that health and safety of residents will improve, Jacobson said.

Jacobsen said that he had seen people light up occasionally at parks, but said they were always good to move away from crowds. He reported that Project Filter provides free “no smoking” signs to those cities that plan on banning smoking in their parks.

“The biggest reason is basically for safety and public health. At different sporting events, elderly people are there on oxygen, and there are kids with asthma (impacted),” he said.

St. Anthony banned smoking/vaping at its parks in 2017. In May 2019, the City of Rexburg also prohibited any kind of tobacco use in its parks, reported Rexburg City Clerk Deborah Lovejoy.

“We have a nicotine free ordinance we did a little while ago. It encompasses all nicotine. Nicotine products shall be unlawful within the park – smoking, chewing, vaping, tobacco,” she said.

Jacobsen met with Idaho Health Education Specialist Timalee Geisler last fall who mentioned the Project Filter project.

“She talked to us at the time and asked us to do the no smoking in the park. She came back a few weeks ago and brought the signs over,” he said.

Sugar City Mayor Steven Adams said he didn’t believe the council would object to such a ban.

“I don’t think we’ll have any problem getting it passed. We’ll go through the process, make sure everybody has time to look at it and decide what they want to do,” he said. “I think it has pretty good support from the city council.”

Plans call for Sugar City to consider the no smoking/vaping ban during its next city council meeting scheduled at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 12, at city hall at 10 E. Center Street. For more information call 208-356-7561 and for more information on Project Filter visit https://projectfilter.org/.