NOBELSVILLE, IN - Parents and others looking to smoke while nearby children are at play at Noblesville’s playgrounds will have to step away a few paces in the near future.

The Noblesville Parks Board approved a proposal this week to ban smoking in playground areas of city parks.

Parks Director Don Seal presented the idea to the five-member board and said the idea originated from a concerned mother who wrote the department a letter. It stated since “No Dogs” signs were placed in the playground vicinity last summer, the department should take it a step further and place no smoking signs near the area, as well.

Read more about the proposal here .

Other tidbits from the article.

• “Every weekend in the summer, we’re cleaning up all the cigarette butts that are carpeting the area when the children are coming to day camp and it is gross,” said Susie Davis, who serves as recreation director for the parks. “And that’s the only way to put it.”
• Seal admitted it would be tough as the board doesn’t have the power to enforce a penalty but the initial step of placing a sign may cause people to pause and do the right thing. “There’s no way to stop it, but certainly you have to use some peer pressure,” Seal said. “It’s worked pretty well with dogs, and I think this will work, too.”