Village Officials Reject Smoking Ban at Buffalo Grove Days

Buffalo Grove officials said they won’t enforce a total smoking ban at the Buffalo Grove Days festival this year, but they will consider designating new areas for smokers to light up.

Trustees reviewed a staff proposal Monday to use signs to designate two or three smoking areas on village property. The plans, created by village staff and festival committee members, were drafted nearly a year after one trustee asked the village to consider a complete smoking ban for the event.

“No one should have the right to do anything in public that could harm others,” said Trustee Mike Terson, who noted that there are other places that don’t make concessions for smokers. “Restaurants don’t do that. The park district doesn’t do that. And we shouldn’t do that,” he said.

Buffalo Grove Days is held each year over Labor Day weekend on property owned by the village, St. Mary Catholic Church and the Buffalo Grove Park District. Smoking is always prohibited on park district and church property. Smoking, which is always permitted on village property, is allowed during the festival in unenclosed spaces.

Terson was the only trustee to support a complete smoking ban Monday night.

“My question and concern is enforcement issues. If the village is going to pass a ban, there has to be some backbone to enforce it,” Trustee Les Ottenheimer said.

“I don’t want to see our committee of volunteers chasing smokers. I don’t want to see our police chasing smokers,” agreed Trustee Jeff Berman, who said he also wants to collect more public input on the subject.

Festival co-chair Paulette Greenberg said the needs of carnival employees and vendors who smoke also need to be considered.

“We have to give them somewhere to go take a break,” she said.

Safety is another consideration, said Buffalo Grove Finance Director Scott Anderson. “By banning smoking across the festival grounds, “what we’d be doing is asking smokers to congregate along Lake-Cook Road, near traffic,” he said.

Village staff members will work on determining specific smoking areas. “Patrons will be asked to move to smoking areas or asked to extinguish their cigarettes,” according to an overview of the plan.

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