A Seattle suburb has joined in the movement to end smoking in parks, as earlier this week the Kent City Council unanimously approved a proposal that restricts tobacco and nicotine use in those areas.
The list of areas where smoking, vaping, or the use tobacco products will be prohibited is quite extensive, and includes all parks, public squares, public gardens, playgrounds, athletic complexes, community centers, museums, trails, and all drives, parkways, bodies of water, docks, piers, moorage floats, beaches, and parking lots or garages contained therein. It also includes all other parks and recreational areas, developed or undeveloped, owned by the City of Kent or under the management and control of the City of Kent for park purposes.
One area that did get an exemption from the ban is the city’s Riverbend Golf Complex.
The ban goes into effect Aug. 15, with violators subject to a $50 fine.
Seattle made its parks smoke-free in July 2015, and has been joined by neighboring cities of Burien, SeaTac, Fife, Renton, and Tukwila. The state’s capital city, Olympia, has also made its parks smoke-free.
Kent is located approximately 20 miles south of Seattle and is home to roughly 127,000 residents.