Earlier this year, the Montpelier City Council was asked to ban smoking in the city’s parks, an issue that the council seemed in favor of but hasn’t been able to move forward on until last night, when they agreed to separate the city’s parks and downtown areas so that each area could be voted on separately.

While the agreement was reached, there is still work to be done in defining the exact boundaries of the downtown area, according to MyChamplainValley.com. After that, a series of meetings with area businesses about the proposed ban would begin.

The council also discussed the idea of drafting an ordinance that would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21–years-old from the current age of 18–years-old. Earlier this year, the Vermont legislature voted down a proposal to raise the minimum purchase age statewide to 21.

Montepelier is the capital of Vermont and home to an estimated 7,755 residents.

Avatar photo

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.