A beach and boardwalk smoking ban in Ocean City, Md. has been in the works for several months, and on Tuesday night in finally came to fruition as the city council voted 4-3 in favor of enacting it during a work session.

The presentation made by city staff to the city council projects a fiscal impact of between $17,000 and $20,000 to create these new designated smoking areas, which would be 50 feet from either the boardwalk or the toe of the established dune. The areas would be active from May 1 to Sept. 30 with receptacles for waste, while from October 1 to April 30 the receptacles would not be in place as the city says normal maintenance would suffice.

Electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices were not part of the ban, mainly since they do not generate waste and are not considered by the city to be tobacco products.

While specifics of where smokers will be allowed to light up remain an issue to be decided, a public awareness campaign will start the city’s efforts to bring attention to the new ban, a project that is expected to cost upwards of $20,000.

The ordinance will go into effect on May 1, 2015 in advance of the high season for tourism, which draws upwards of eight million visitors per year and summer weekend swells of more than 300,000 visitors.

Ocean City is located approximately 105 miles southeast of Baltimore and is home to just over 7,000 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.