After an informative presentation from south side resident Thaden Brient two weeks ago, Athens City Council members will open discussions on an ordinance that would create a smoking ban in all public parks.
Brient, father of a nine-year-old daughter, collected and counted cigarette butts from South Side Park for 18 months; according to Brient, he would find an average of 10-16 butts per day during the parks day time hours.
Councilman Steve Patterson, D-at large and father of two, commented after council that night that he was currently writing an ordinance that would make Athens parks smoke-free.
In the past, Patterson said, he’s given volunteers bags and asked them to pick up cigarette butts and has been astounded at how many they returned with.
Ohio University intends to have a smoke free campus next school year.
Council will also be discussing the request that Chipotle, 41 S. Court St., put in for a liquor license. The license would allow them to sell alcohol until 2:30 a.m. each night, and would mean that Chipotle would be extending its hours.
Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, was opposed to the law, saying that too many restaurants on Court currently have liquor licenses.
“(The businesses are like) ‘I can’t make any money unless I can sell alcohol’. And that’s ridiculous,” Fahl said.
Fahl also said that granting Chipotle a liquor license would take away customers from other businesses.
