Edmond parks board OKs smoking ban plan

EDMOND — The Edmond Parks and Recreation Advisory Board unanimously approved a proposed ordinance banning smoking in the city’s parks and playgrounds.

The ordinance now goes to the city council. If approved, the ordinance would go into effect 30 days later.

Board member Dennis Shockley said the ordinance was drafted by City Attorney Steve Murdock and patterned after a similar ordinance adopted in Norman this summer.

The ordinance prohibits smoking within 50 feet of Edmond city park playgrounds, including Pelican Bay Aquatic Center, and the fenced areas at all Edmond athletic complexes.

The ban doesn’t include the city’s KickingBird Golf Course, nor does it address smokeless tobacco in parks and playgrounds.

Randle Lee, a representative of Smoke Free Oklahoma, was pleased with the parks board’s decision.

"We’re not trying to limit smokers’ rights,” he said. "Secondhand smoke is just as dangerous as smoking, and it shouldn’t be around the airspace where kids are playing.”

Violation of the ordinance will be a misdemeanor offense with a fine from $50 to $200, excluding court costs.