A proposal to enact a smoking ban in all municipal park grounds and facilities took its first step to becoming a reality on Tuesday evening, as the Westfield Town Council passed the bill on its first reading.

A public hearing and second reading are still required before smokers will be forbidden from lighting up, though neither have been scheduled as of yet. The council next meets on Oct. 21, with two meetings in both November and December.

According to a report in the Westfield Leader, violators will be subject to fines starting at $50 and increasing to $500 for a third offense. Enforcement will be handled by Westfield Board of Health and Westfield Police Department.

Westfield is located about 13 miles southwest of Newawk and is home to just under 31,000 residents.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.