Yes, you may smoke in public parks

With summer in full swing, smokers may wonder whether they can light up during certain outdoor events.
According to the recently passed ordinance, smoking is only banned in enclosed places. Debra Bradley, health director, said there is no provision that prohibits smoking in public parks.

“It’s just enclosed places,” she said.

Those who do choose to smoke in parks, however, still need to stay at least five feet away from doors, windows and air intake systems.

St. Joseph voters in April passed a clean air ordinance that banned smoking in all indoor places of employment, except for the St. Jo Frontier Casino gaming floor. It garnered nearly 53 percent of the votes.

Ms. Bradley said some citizens may be confused that the title of Section 17-327 —”Application of article to City-Owned Facilities and Property” —does not specifically clarify indoor or enclosed property.

“The meat of the paragraph is what is the law,” she said.

It reads: “All enclosed areas, including buildings and vehicles owned, leased or operated by the City of St. Joseph shall be subject to the provisions of this article.”

So events like tonight’s Parties on the Parkway at the Southwest Parkway or this weekend’s Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival at Felix Street Square will still be smoking areas.

However, there is a provision in the ordinance (Sec. 17-334) that allows for any “owner, operator, manager, or other person in control” of an outdoor area to declare it a nonsmoking zone.

“If the people who are running the program want to make it a nonsmoking event, they could,” Ms. Bradley said. “If they chose to be nonsmoking, they don’t have to have a sign.”

Mary Robertson, public information officer for the city, said they will not enforce the smoking ban at Parties on the Parkway.