APPLETON (NBC 26) — The Valley Transit Center is already a smoke-free zone, but city officials found a problem with the language enforcing it.
- City officials in Appleton are revising the smoke-free zone language at the Valley Transit Center to align with new developments
- The updated boundaries will include both the transit center and Appleton Public Library to protect children from secondhand smoke during outdoor activities
- The resolution passed in the Board of Health will now be considered by the Common Council next Wednesday
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details for the web)
Chuck Sepers, the City of Appleton Health Department Director, says, "The current language in the current ordinance actually defines a predefined path from the sidewalk to the front of the building. That sidewalk is no longer there, or that pathway is no longer there."
Sepers says the new language will be similar to the current language, taking into account new developments since the original wording. "We actually had to go ahead and redraw those boundaries," Sepers said.
The new boundary is essentially a rectangle, encompassing both the Appleton Public Library and the Valley Transit Center. Sepers adds that the decision to group the library and transit center into one smoke-free zone was done to protect kids participating in outdoor activities at the library from secondhand smoke.
"Secondhand smoke is really one of the leading causes of death, and everything that spins out of that. That's cardiovascular disease, that's diabetes, that's all of those things," Sepers said.
The resolution passed 6-0 in the most recent Board of Health meeting. Now, it goes to the Common Council for consideration next Wednesday.
