Politics & Government

Should Smoking Be Allowed on City Grounds?

The city is considering an exception to an ordinance that prohibits it to allow people to smoke on a patio outside of the Community Center.

The City of Greenfield is considering a change to its smoking ordinance that would allow people who rent out the Community Center to smoke on city grounds.

Parks and Recreation Director Scott Jaquish would like an exception made to the ordinance that prohibits smoking on city grounds, except for in parks, to exclude a 4-foot by 8-foot concrete patio on the north side of the Community Center, according to minutes from the November Board of Health meeting.

The reason behind Jaquish’s request is the city has received complaints from neighbors, specifically those in the apartment complex across the street from the center, about people attending functions or events at the center leaving the area to smoke in their neighborhood.

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Some neighbors even said people have come into the apartment complex to smoke, the minutes indicated.

Greenfield Police Chief Brad Wentlandt said since July 2012, his department has responded to four noise complaints for loud music coming from the center, with the last coming in November. But he said the Parks Department has put in safeguards to prevent those noise issues, and if people have complaints about smoking in the area, his department hasn’t heard them.

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Darren Rausch, the city’s health director, said at the Board of Health meeting changing the ordinance would be a step backward in terms of curbing smoking in the city.

The proposal passed through the Board of Health with a 5-1 vote — only Rausch voted against it — and will be addressed at the Legislative Committee at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, before potentially heading to the Common Council.


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