A ban on smoking and the use of nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, is coming to the parks of Olean after the Olean Common Council passed a proposal at its meeting this week by a 6-1 vote.

City leaders cited concerns about both litter and secondhand smoke in proposing the ban, saying that the cleanup of litter from tobacco products and e-cigarettes has become a growing expense.

The ban went into effect immediately upon passage and provides for violators to be cited and fined up to $200, as well as ejected from the park or recreational area. The ordinance does allow for smoking within a private vehicle parked within a park or recreational facility’s parking lots.

Olean is home to approximately 14,000 residents and is located the western part of the state, just over 70 miles south of Buffalo.

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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.