The city of Tecumseh, Mich. will soon have a smoking ban for its parks and recreation areas, as the city council approved a new ban that will roll out in two phases beginning on July 1.

The new ban applies to beaches, picnic areas, playgrounds, sports or athletic fields, bleachers, walking paths, gardens, hiking trails, bike paths and dog parks. However, paved public sidewalks surrounding these areas will not be subject to the ban, nor will any designated smoking areas.

It will be implemented first at the city’s Cal Zorn Park, which is the city’s biggest and most used park. The rest of the parks system will be subject to the ban as of Jan. 1, 2018. The city says that the staggered rollout will allow adequate time to generate public awareness and inform park users about the new policy.

The new ban doesn’t have a provision for a monetary fine for violators, saying however that any person who violates the policy shall be subjected to a warning, and may be asked to leave the park or recreation area.

Tecumseh is located just over 60 miles southwest of Detroit and home to approximately 6,500 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.