Kirkland Parks to Adopt Policy, Not Law, Discouraging Smoking at Playgrounds

The possibility of a ban on tobacco use in Kirkland’s parks has gone up in a cloud of smoke. However, the Kirkland Park Board has recommended that the city's Parks and Community Services Department take administrative steps to discourage tobacco use around all of the city’s 24 playgrounds.

“Based on the Park Board’s feedback and discussion, what we’re going to do is work on a park policy, not a rule, which would require that an ordinance be passed,” Jennifer Schroder, parks director, said Monday. “We’ll take more of an educational and volunteer approach to encourage people to refrain from smoking near our playgrounds.”

The most tangible aspect of the new policy will likely be signs posted around the city’s 24 playgrounds discouraging tobacco use in those areas.

Last October the city and other local municipalities launched surveys on tobacco use in parks, along with King County Parks, which last year received a federal “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” (CPPW) grant. CPPW is an initiative of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent chronic disease through policy change, and it is tackling the issues of obesity and tobacco use.

In a story about the effort, Kirkland Patch also posted an unscientific poll about tobacco use in parks. While Patch found strong support for a smoking prohibition -- 20 of 27 people responding favored a ban -- Schroder said the city’s survey found a mixed reaction.

“There definitely was feedback that, ‘Do we really need a new law?’ And there were others that supported a new law,” she said.

More than two dozen cities in 12 counties across Washington have adopted policies promoting smoke-free and tobacco-free areas in outdoor public places.
At its December meeting, the Kirkland Park Board recommended an administrative approach, rather than a legal one.

“I think (the process) in itself started a conversation and created an awareness,” said Schroder, who will soon be developing the new policy.

The CPPW grant will pay for new signs at the playgrounds, and Schroder said they should be in place later this year.