Cortez’s Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department will take 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 make an official suggestion to the Cortez City Council. The survey should be available to everyone in Montezuma County by February.
Parks and Recreation Director Dean Palmquist said it took “a surprisingly long time” to get the wording right. Board members decided to make several changes to the survey idea they discussed at the last meeting. For example, they had 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.
“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.
Smoking is prohibited immediately outside the entrances to city buildings, but with enough support from the public, the new policy could expand that.
The survey will be posted on the city website and might be mailed to county residents. Parks and Rec offered a similar survey when it was 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,” councilor Bob Archibeque said.
Palmquist said the survey should be available online by February, but it’s not clear when or if the survey will be sent by mail. He wants to get enough response from the community for the board to make an informed decision by March.
