December 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 33

found a cigarette butt. They were
armed with 500 flags and quickly ran
out. The flags were retrieved, and
the team gathered in another part of
the park and again used all 500 flags.
Most alarming was the number of
cigarette butts found in and around
the playground.
Shortly afterward, members of the
coalition approached the park and
recreation department leadership to
discuss the issue and gain the needed support to improve the current
smoke-free ordinance to include a
smoking ban in parks. The parks'
leadership was immediately onboard
and shared their dedication to offering the residents of El Paso a safe,
healthy place to play. The issue was
discussed with the neighborhood
association leadership, who also
pledged their support. Finally, coalition members engaged the general
public about the issue at health fairs
and events throughout the city. More
than 1,000 endorsements were gathered from residents pledging their
support of smoke-free parks. Letters
of support also came in from area
agencies such as the El Paso Medical
Society, YMCA, Alpha Youth Leadership Academy, Creative Kids and
the Housing Authority of El Paso.
Coalition members then took this
information to individual members
of the El Paso City Council in advance of the ordinance being placed
on the city council agenda. Each
city representative was visited and
provided with information about
the dangers of outdoor secondhand
smoke, cigarette butt litter, electronic
smoking devices and other information to be included in the proposed
ordinance changes. The Department
of Public Health director addressed
the city council and asked for their
vote to update the smoke-free ordi

Each red flag marks the location of a
littered cigarette butt found at this
popular El Paso park.

nance. He stressed the need for parks
that are free of smoke and the need
to include a ban of electronic cigarettes in the same places that smoking is banned. Opponents of the ordinance change collected hundreds
of signatures and made numerous
pleas to the council to not support
the proposed change. In all, more
than 40 community members, pro
and con, voiced their opinions to the
city council. Despite the opposition
(which was primarily about adding
e-cigarettes to the smoking ban), the
new ordinance changes passed with a
vote of 6-1.
El Paso is proud to be a leader in
smoke-free policy. In 2001, the city
council passed one of the strongest
smoke-free policies in the nation.
The University of Texas at El Paso is
a tobacco-free campus, and there are
several local hospitals that have tobacco-free policies for their campuses
as well. The updated, improved ordinance that passed in June 2014 will
again move El Paso to the national
forefront through the implementation and enforcement of a comprehensive smoke-free law that will
protect our residents, including their
children and pets.
The next step will be to educate
the public about the new law. This
will be done in several ways. The
Department of Public Health will
issue a press release in December
2014 reminding El Paso residents
that beginning in January 2015, all

city parks will be smoke-free. The
park and recreation department will
post no-smoking signs at every park
and make an announcement on
their website. Park and recreation
department employees will have an
opportunity to attend an in-service
program regarding the ordinance
changes and to learn the best ways
to approach smokers and enforce the
new law. Luckily, it has been found
that most smoke-free ordinances
are self-enforcing once the public is
aware of the law.
Department of Public Health Director Robert Resendes states, " This
is truly a victory for the people of El
Paso who expect to step outside their
homes every day and breathe clean
air, free from smoke, nicotine and
any other contaminants caused by
smoking and vaping. "
Park and Recreation Department
Director Tracy Novak adds, " Our
primary concern in delivering our
mission is to provide a safe environment for our users. This updated ordinance sends a strong message of
leadership that we will not risk the
public health of our young people
and families due to cigarettes [and]
their residue, as well as the new risk
that vaping represents. Some of our
most vulnerable residents are children at playgrounds, and this new
ordinance protects them. "
Sue Beatty is the Health Education Manager
for the City of El Paso Department of Public
Health (sue.e.beatty@elpasotexas.gov).

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Parks & Recreation

December 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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