By Dan Aceto

Staff Writer

When Karen D’Andrea participated in a beach cleanup event at Pine Point in September she was appalled by what she saw. 

“We collected over 1,000 cigarette butts,” she said.

D’Andrea, a member of the Town Council and Ordinance Committee, decided to take action.  

D’Andrea helped draft a proposal that would amend an ordinance to ban use of all tobacco-related products on town beaches and create a designated smoking area. The Town Council passed a first reading of the amendment March 2.

D’Andrea said the proposal is one more step toward providing a safer environment for residents. 

“The more things we can do to set a better example for our kids, the better,” D’Andrea said.

She said the amendment is modeled after a state ordinance established in 2009 that prohibits smoking in state parks. In addition to smoking, the amendment also prohibits use of snuff, dip, chewing tobacco and illegal substances.

D’Andrea said Healthy Maine Partnerships will provide signs around beaches and other education to promote awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke. The program is a partnership between the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Scarborough resident Tina Pettingill supported the amendment and said she wants to create a safe environment for her children.

“There’s no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke,” she said.

Pettingill, who works for a company that provides disclosure information about tobacco use, said smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States as well as the top trigger for asthma attacks.

Pettingill said she was concerned about the location of designated smoking areas in relation to the beach. She said any type of designation would have to be 25 feet away from pedestrian traffic to ensure safety of those in the area.

Councilor Ronald Ahlquist, who works as a ranger at Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth, said he was concerned how the new amendment would be enforced because police presence on the beach is limited. He said although smoking is banned in state parks, he has to frequently remind people of the law by handing out cards about the restriction. 

 “I’m real hesitant about passing something we can’t enforce,” Ahlquist said. “To have an ordinance that isn’t backed up doesn’t make sense.”

Councilor Mike Wood proposed enforcement include residents who could hand out cards to people who violate the ordinance.

Ahlquist opposed the idea and said he would not want to put residents in a position to deal with confrontations from people who oppose the policy.

 “I don’t want the police department getting flooded with calls to come down to beach. We can’t afford that,” Ahlquist said.

Councilor Judith Roy agreed she would like to see smoking banned on the beach, but she said the issue would take time.

“A change in behavior doesn’t happen overnight,” Roy said.

Wood said he wanted to include wording in the ordinance that would specify the smoking area be on a small piece of land in open air, not in an enclosed space such as a small hut.

He said although he is not a proponent of passing an ordinance that cannot be enforced, the issue is something the town must address.

“We’ve got to start somewhere,” Wood said.

A public hearing on the issue will be held March 16 at the next Town Council meeting.

Staff Writer Dan Aceto can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237.