Stakeholders propose smoking ban for Park Central Square

A smoking proposal sponsored by Springfield City Councilman Craig Hosmer has the support of various stakeholders.

A task force co-chaired Coffee Ethic owner Tom Billionis and Rusty Worley of the Urban Districts Alliance has recommended the city adopt an ordinance banning the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products within Park Central Square and along the perimeter sidewalk, except in sidewalk cafe areas that have city-issued permits, according to the News-Leader.

Some city council members spoke in favor of the proposal at a committee meeting Wednesday, according to the report, with the caveat that businesses not be affected differently downtown than they are elsewhere in Springfield.

Councilman Jeff Seifried, however, wondered whether the additional restriction would simply push smokers across the street. “We’ve pushed the problem outside to a degree that we’ve almost created a bigger problem," he said, referencing the indoor smoking ban.

Read more from the News-Leader.