Plan for smoking ban in Ridgewood parks moves forward
Tuesday March 12, 2013, 10:30 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Ridgewood council members are pushing ahead with a proposal to ban smoking in all village parks, but the governing body reached a consensus to exclude sidewalks and other specially requested areas from a future ordinance.
The Ridgewood Council is considering a smoking ban in village parks, similar to an ordinance recently enacted in Paramus.
The council can introduce the ordinance enacting the new regulations as early as Wednesday.
The village is one of several municipalities that have been recently targeted by Global Advisors Smokefree Policy (GASP), a statewide program intended to create smoke-free environments in all public parks. GASP representatives, with support from the village’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation Board, pitched their ideas in Ridgewood in January.
GASP has also appeared in Garfield, North Arlington, Wood-Ridge and Westwood, among other towns. If Ridgewood approves an ordinance, it will be the 15th municipality in Bergen County to adopt the 100 percent smoke-free parks policy.
Thank God they won’t ban me from smoking my “medicine” in the park.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn whats the next ban the THREE AMIGOS want to introduce no 16 oz sweet drinks.