Public to voice concerns on ban

The Bloomington City Council will hear public comment tonight on a new draft of the proposed smoking ban, which would now exclude private clubs. \nCity Councilman Anthony Pizzo is sponsoring the bill, which he says is a matter of public health. \n"As a councilman, I am responsible for the health of the community," Pizzo told the IDS last week. "We are just adding a single regulation to ensure the health of people who work, eat or drink in these locations."\nIf passed, Kilroy's on Kirkwood would be one of the establishments affected by the ban. Adam Hosey, Kilroy's manager, said about two-thirds of its patrons smoke. Polling done by Kilroy's has revealed that 75 percent of patrons are against the smoking ban overall.\n"It's anyone's right to smoke in a private business and if start limiting private businesses, it opens the door to other things," Hosey said.\nAnother city council member, Jason Banach, proposed three amendments to the ban, which would allow people to smoke in more areas.\nBanach's first amendment would allow not only smoking in private clubs, but also in private offices and outdoor areas. Banach said if the ban passed as it stands now, people would not be able to smoke at locations such as bus stops or public phones or in privately-owned office buildings. A private office is defined as a fully enclosed space, occupied by no more than one person, where smoke leaves the building through ventilation or other technology without entering any other part of the place of employment.\nDelaying the implementation of the smoking ban until August 1, 2003, is the second amendment Banach proposed.\n"This amendment would buy the business owners a little more time," Banach said. "The owners must have written smoking policies and inform the staff how to comply and enforce the ban. I don't know how the city thinks a business could do all of that overnight."\nUnder his third amendment, establishments where all of the employees and patrons are over the age of 18 would be exempted. At age 18, in the state of Indiana a person is considered a legal adult and the legal age to buy tobacco products.\nAllowing members to smoke in private clubs was the only measure in Banach's three amendments which the Mayor's office approved, leading to controversy. Non-profit fraternal organizations such as the Moose and Elk lodges or the Fraternal Order of Police would still be allowed to smoke within their establishments.\n"If this measure is going to protect worker health, it should also be for children's health. By exempting private clubs, we're not protecting worker health or children's health since these clubs are also organizations which hold family functions," Banach said. "We will exempt private clubs, but we won't exempt a bar where there are legal adults making legal adult decisions."\nHosey, from Kilroy's, was also concerned the ban could affect alumni returning to Bloomington and patronizing the establishment.\n"If the ban is passed, we would probably experience a drop in our business," Hosey said. "Especially when alumni come in for events like Little 500 and Homecoming, it would be hard to explain to them they can't smoke anywhere. Not at the bus stops, not at the bar, nowhere." \nCommunity members can voice their opinions tonight at the weekly city council meeting. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Showers Building, located at 401 North Morton.