January 23, 2016 Patrick Lagreid Regulations,  Smoking Bans

Ann Arbor, Mich. Adds 79 Parks to Smoking Ban

It’s been just under a year since the city of Ann Arbor, Mich. decided to ban smoking in roughly half of its 159 parks, starting with a group of 73 parks with playgrounds and four parks in the downtown core.

With city leaders proclaiming the trial run a victory, the ban is being extended to 79 more parks as of Feb. 1, with just one park–known as Cobblestone Farm–and the city’s two golf courses getting exemptions from the ban. News of the smoking ban’s expansion came on Friday.

“The ban on smoking has, overall, been well received by parks users over the past year,” said City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation services manager Colin Smith in a press release. “With close to all city parks now becoming smoke free, we will be better equipped than ever to provide clean, safe and healthy facilities for our park users to enjoy.”

Signage is being installed at the new additions that inform users of the ban, with the goal to get voluntary compliance through education and warnings. Should a park user refuse to comply, however, the city’s police department could be called to aid in enforcement and cite someone for violating the ban, which comes with a $25 fine.

Ann Arbor is located in southeastern Michigan and is home to just over 116,000 residents, as well as the University of Michigan.

Ann Arbor (Mich.) Michigan Smoking Bans Washtenaw County (Mich.)
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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, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, 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.

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