Community Corner
Stub that Cigarette: Union County Expands Smoking Ban in Parks, Recreational Facilities
The policy will apply to venues used by Scotch Plains-Fanwood residents.
If you ever lit up a cigarette at a county-owned pool, ball field or playground, you won't be able to anymore.
The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders has amended a no smoking policy in county-owned buildings to include all county-owned recreational areas and facilities. The facilities include ice-skating rinks, playgrounds, running tracks, swimming pools, snack bars, ball fields, tennis courts, boating areas (docks structures) and rest rooms which are located in any county-owned recreational areas.
"Recreational areas are used by families with children and our priority is to protect children from the effects of second-hand smoke," said Vice Chairman Deborah Scanlon.
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The new policy will apply to parks used by many Scotch Plains-Fanwood residents, including Echo Lake Park in Mountainside, Cedar Brook Park and Green Brook Park in Plainfield and Unami Park in Garwood. The policy will also be enforced at Watchung Stables and Trailside Gardens in Mountainside.
Those using nearby pools will also have to be aware of the new policy. It will be enforced at Walter E. Ulrich Memorial Pool in Rahway and John Russell Wheeler Memorial Pool in Linden.
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Appropriate signs will be posted in the areas. Violators are subject to a fine of $250.00 for the first offense, $500.00 for the second offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.
Under the new policy, the county may also prohibit smoking at county-sponsored events, like concerts, fairs, festivals, movies and other events at the discretion of the County Manager and with the approval of the Board of Freeholders. Appropriate signs would be displayed at such events.
"The bottom line is that exposure to second hand smoke should be a serious health concern for everyone. New Jersey has successfully enacted anti-smoking laws in the recent past and the end result is that we are healthier for it," Scanlon said.
A public hearing and final reading of the ordinance is scheduled for Thursday June 10 at 7pm at the Freeholder meeting room. It's located on the sixth floor of the Union County Administration Building, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth.
