Fayetteville, N.C. Considering New Smoking Rules in City Parks

A change to where people are allowed to light up in city parks and athletic fields could be in the works for Fayetteville, N.C., as the city’s parks and recreation board has given its unanimous support of adopting such a measure.

Complains about smoking in the bleachers and seating areas at sporting events led to the ban being discussed by the board, and now the assistant city attorney has been asked to draft an ordinance that will come before the city council as early as this fall. The ordinance appears to create designated smoking areas away from places where people, especially children, tend to congregate, though it would not apply to county-built parks that the city manages.

Mayor Nat Robertson told the Fayetteville Observer that he thinks the proposed policy makes sense.

Earlier this summer, the city sought to create zoning restrictions for tobacco retailers that would limit how close they could be to schools, churches, and other tobacco retailers. That ordinance is slated to come back before the city council for a public hearing on August 25.

Fayetteville has a population of around 200,000 people and is located in Cumberland County in the central part of the state. The county has seen several smoking bans come info effect this year and is planning expanding smoke-free areas even further,

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 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.