No Smoking Signs Go Up At Groton Parks

Lydia Lee would probably speak up if someone lit a cigarette while her 2-year-old daughter was at the playground, whether there was a “no smoking” policy or not.

But it’ll be easier now that she has a sign to back her up.

“We’re out here for fresh air, right?” said Lee, who brought her daughter to Poquonnock Plains Park on Wednesday. “I personally hate the smell of smoke.”

Groton's Parks and Recreation Commission approved a no-smoking rule in March at local parks and playgrounds.

The Groton Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition then bought eight signs, and had them posted at about half of the town’s playgrounds last week.

“I think anybody would agree with it," Parks and Recreation Director John Silsby said of the policy.

The rule doesn’t come with specific penalties, but is designed to remind people that smoking is prohibited and ask them to comply.

“This isn’t going to be the police coming down and handing down tickets,” said Michelle Hamilton, substance abuse prevention coalition coordinator for Ledge Light Health District. “It’s going to be something where parents can say, if they see somebody smoking, ‘Can you put the cigarette out? This is really for the enjoyment of children.’”

Fabrice Evrard, of Noank, whose grandchildren play at Poquonnock Plains, said he supports it.

“It’s important not to smoke because we don’t want to give the bad example,” he said.  “If the kids are looking at us smoking, it’s a shame, no?”