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Clubs like proposed smoke ban changes |
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Friday, 23 March 2007 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Staff Writer
WAPAKONETA — Revised proposals to the statewide smoking ban that would exempt some private clubs would help local organizations keep their doors open and be a service to the community, members of the veteran’s groups say.
“I would agree the new proposals would benefit us as a club,” said John Downey, adjunct quartermaster for the Wapakoneta Veterans of Foreign War Post 8445. “We are a little different than bars because we are private, our members pay to come here.”
Under a proposal released Wednesday, private club members who provide a service to the club are not considered employees. That means private clubs who do not allow the general public into its facility, are non-profit and operate in a free-standing building and do not allow minors on the premises would be exempt from the smoking ban.
“We are private and not everyone can join,” Downey said. “Coming back as a soldier serving in a war, it is a small benefit we have — having the right to do what our memberships votes on in our club.”
Downey said initially the smoking ban worried him because he feared the veteran’s club could be forced to shut its doors if members decided to stay home and smoke rather than go to the VFW. However Downey welcomed the new additions to the smoking ban and said the ultimate fate of smoking in the VFW Hall would be left up to the members of the organization.
“I know when the ban first went into effect we took everything off the bar,” Downey said, noting the VFW allows members to smoke until the final details of the smoking ban are hammered out. “We found out other groups were allowing smoking so we allowed it because we’d lose customers.
“The only thing we do is we don’t allow smoking if it is open to the public for a meal,” he added.
Like the VFW, the Wapakoneta Eagles is a private club that requires membership for access to its facility. Ken Koenig, secretary for the club, said the new recommendations to the law would benefit the Eagles.
“I think the majority of our members would like to be exempt,” Koenig said. “I would say probably a little more than half of our members are smokers but we will abide by whatever the government tells us to do.”
Koenig said while the public is invited into the Eagles periodically, it remains closed to anyone but members. The secretary said an across-the-board smoking ban could hurt the club because members could opt to stay home instead of visiting the Eagles.
“Everyone is concerned with the smoking ban because some people feel people will not come out as often if they cannot smoke here,” Koenig said. “I think the exemption would allow us to keep our doors open.”
As private clubs are left to ponder the possible impact of the ban, Auglaize County Health Department officials are working to make sure enforcement vehicle are properly in place.
Health Commissioner Charlotte Parsons said her staff is in the process of reviewing all proposals to the law to make sure they are ready when enforcement begins.
“We have to have our staff properly trained and until that begins we are just keeping up with the developments,” Parsons said. “Right now that is out of my hands until the rules are finalized in Columbus.”
Despite a lack of enforcement of penalties, Parsons said the smoking ban remains in effect. The county’s top health official said her department continues to receive complaints of businesses not abiding by the law.
“We still get complaints from patrons of businesses who allow smoking,” Parsons said. “The law is still in effect, and when we get a complaint we let the business know that they are being observed and we expect them to comply.” |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 28 March 2007 )
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