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NEWS / TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
STATE
Bill places further restrictions on outdoor smoking in restaurants, bars
BY ALEX TRETBAR AND KATE GOFF editor@kansan.com
Lawrence bars will face new obstacles for accommodating their smoking patrons come July.
Gov. Mark Parkinson signed a bill banning indoor smoking across the state. But the bill also regulates outdoor smoking: Kansans will no longer be able to smoke within 10 feet of any doors, open windows or air intakes. The new law, which goes into effect July 1, will make many patios in Lawrence off-limits for smokers.
Anyone caught smoking in restricted areas could be fined $100 for the first offense. Additional violations could cost as much as $500.
Jeremy Sidener, operator of the Eighth Street Tap Room, 801 New Hampshire St., for 16 years, said the new bill would be a nuisance for his bar and customers.
"This will certainly affect the
downtown area and Lawrence, but I don't know how it will affect business," he said.
Sidener said the original Lawrence indoor smoking ban, passed in July 2004, influenced his decision to add an outdoor area for
smokers. The new ban, however, will make that patio off-limits to the very customers he built it for. Sidener also said he was frustrated that customers
Development, said the process to obtain a patio permit was fairly easy. However, the process has had some businesses waiting years for approval.
The Jackpot, 1943 Massachusetts St., built its outdoor patio last year
"I'm not sure how they're going to enforce it."
CALEB SPENCER Student and smoker
would have to finish or leave their drinks in the bar before walking outside to smoke.
after being denied approval for years, said Emily Parker, a manager at the bar for the past six years.
Constructing an outdoor patio requires approval by the city of Lawrence and annual renewal fees on top of the cost to actually build the structure. Scott McCullough, director of Lawrence Planning and
here," Parker said. "Everything's just very strict because you have to follow the plan that you submit to them originally."
However, not all business owners are fretting over the ban.
Codi Bates, co-manager of the newly opened restaurant, Esquina, 801 Massachusetts, said she had
Collin Johnson/KANSAN
Dan Nagengast, Director of the Kansas Rural Center, speaks about local food and transportation in the Kansas Union's Alderson auditorium Monday night. The event, entitled "Earth to Plate," was held in conjunction with several other activities to celebrate Earth Day and promote environmental awareness on KU campus.
planned all along to have outdoor seating. The restaurant's doors are within 10 feet of the seating area, but Bates said she didn't think the ban would affect her business.
Sustainable snacking
"I think people will still appreciate the patio," Bates said. "But if we see a need to make a new area for smokers in the future, we'll definitely consider it."
Regardless of the opinions of bar owners and patrons, the costly
addition to The Jackpot and other restaurants with patios for smoking will soon be obsolete. Come July, patrons will have to find a place on the sidewalk far enough away from doors and windows if they want to smoke.
Caleb Spencer, at sophomore from St. Louis, smokes cigarettes and said he was disappointed with the new bill and didn't know how it would be received in Lawrence.
"I'm not sure how they're going to enforce it," Spencer said. "I can only see a police officer coming by with a measuring stick and some absurd protocol to make sure it's enforced."
Edited by Becky Howlett
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