Council to Consider Allowing Smoking in Public Parks

The San Angelo City Council will consider a recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to amend the city's "Health and Sanitation" ordinance and ban smoking in certain parts of city parks. If passed, the ordinance would apply to the smoking of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.

The proposed amendments include the following:

smoking to be prohibited within 50 feet of park amenities, including, but not limited to: tennis courts, playgrounds, restrooms, volleyball courts and miniature golf courses.

smoking to be prohibited within the fenced or enclosed areas around swimming pools.

smoking is allowed at city parks and outdoor amenities located at Lake Nasworthy.

"The International Water Lily Garden is considered an amenity, so if this passes people won't be able to smoke within 50 feet of it, but they can smoke elsewhere in the park," said Carl White, director of the city's Parks & Recreation department. He said the board originally discussed prohibiting smoking in entire parks, including parking lots, but decided on a compromise. "They didn't want to be draconian," he said.

While the city parks haven't had to deal with too many smoking-related concerns, they deal with a lot of cigarette butts, White said. "It's basically to address spaces where people, especially children congregate," he said. "The bottom line is it's about being health conscious."

City staff and the board looked at similar ordinances in place at other cities before coming up with a draft ordinance.

In other business, the council will also consider:

The second hearing and adoption of ordinances changing bulk collection and recycling services for San Angeloans.

Approving the purchase four twelve-yard dump trucks for about $416,224 from Lonestar Truck DBA Corley Freightliner replacing four old and wornout dump trucks in the city fleet. Fleet Services Superintendent Ryan Kramer said the fleet has 31 active dump trucks.

A petition by Tom Green County to disannex properties generally located north of Farm-to-Market Road 380 and east of U.S. Highways 67 and 277.

A resolution of general support for construction of a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) project by Generation Housing Development to construct a 72-unit affordable-housing apartment complex for the general public in the 2600 block of Era Street.

Several first hearings on annual -fee reviews for different departments and services, including building and construction-related fees, street-use fees and facilities-use fees.

More Information: Check the city's website www.cosatx.us/government/city-council

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