Cortez’s Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department has approved a survey to gauge public opinion on a potential no-smoking policy at city parks and buildings.
Board members discussed the possibility of banning cigarettes and tobacco from the Cortez Recreation Center at their November meeting. But they decided to release a public survey before they made their official suggestion to the Cortez City Council. Now they have decided on the language for the survey, including several changes to the one they originally discussed, and hope to make it available to everyone in the county by the end of the month.
Parks and Recreation Director Dean Palmquist said it took “a surprisingly long time” to get the wording right on the public survey. The board decided to make several changes to the survey idea they discussed at the last meeting. For example, they originally discussed a no-smoking policy for the Recreation Center and surrounding areas, but the approved survey expands the question to other city-owned buildings and parks. It also calls the potential change a “policy,” rather than a city ordinance, which was a possibility the board had discussed at their last meeting.
“That’s what I would like to see – start out with a policy, and then if it needs to be heightened into an ordinance, we can do that,” Palmquist said.
A local policy would allow the city to put up signs in tobacco-free zones, but the zones would not be enforced by police. Youth board member Blair Rice said he didn’t think it was necessary “to call the police if somebody’s smoking a cigarette.”
The survey consists of four questions and a place for comments or concerns. It asks county residents whether they have ever been bothered by secondhand smoke or vapor in public places in Cortez. It also asks whether residents would support a policy making all city-owned parks tobacco- and vapor-free zones, allowing smoking in parking lots only or making a 100-foot smoke- and vapor-free zone around all city-owned buildings and public areas. Right now, smoking is prohibited immediately outside the entrances to city buildings, but with enough support from the public, the new policy could expand that.
The board unanimously approved the survey, but with a few tweaks, such as changing the order of the questions. They plan to put it on the city website, and they also hope to mail it out to county residents. Parks and Rec offered a similar survey when they were considering a new master plan, and Palmquist said it was successful, but he hopes to reach a wider audience this time.
“I think it’s really important to get a good sample, from Mancos, Dolores, the whole county,” councilmember Bob Archibeque said.
Palmquist said the survey should be available online by February, but it’s not yet clear when or if the survey will be sent by mail. He hopes to get enough responses from the community for the board to make an informed decision on the policy by March.