Teens propose tobacco-free parks in Hutchinson

Teenage members of Reno County Communities That Care spoke Tuesday morning at Hutchinson City Council meeting to request the city adopt a tobacco-free parks policy.

Presentation

Destanee Brigman-Reed said South Hutchinson, Nickerson, Arlington, Haven and Buhler have supported tobacco-free parks policies this year.

Tyler Lang said the group has picked up cigarette butts in parks and found 530 in Avenue A Park and 537 in Carey Park.

Brigman-Reed said 12 other Kansas cities have tobacco-free parks, and Abbey Pemberton said if Hutchinson adopts such a policy, it could get signs for free from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s KanQuit program. A sign displayed at Tuesday’s meeting said, “Young lungs at play! This is a tobacco-free zone.”

Response

Mayor Jon Daveline said the city wouldn’t take action on the proposal Tuesday, but referred the matter to City Manager John Deardoff and City Attorney Paul Brown to review and make a recommendation at a later meeting.

Council member Jade Piros de Carvalho complimented the teens on their research and congratulated them on their successes in other cities, and she said she was in favor of the proposal.

Brigman-Reed, Pemberton and Lang were joined by Taylor Lang, Coleen Paige and Mackenzie Dunigan in their presentation. All are Hutchinson High School students.

In other business, the City Council:

• Extended a contract with the American Legion to use the Hutchinson Sports Arena as the site of the National Junior College Athletic Association men's basketball tournament through 2041.
• Rezoned 910 Coronado Drive from high-density residential to office commercial to allow Wesley Towers to open a medical office, which CEO Mark Mains said will include a psychological counselor and cognative services.
• Rezoned 1125 N. Main St. to allow Disability Supports of the Great Plains to open a clayworks art studio for its clients. "What they've done in McPherson is nothing less than amazin," Piros de Carvalho said.
• Reduced the size of the Hutchinson Housing Commission from 14 members to 11 -- including reducing from 11 to nine voting members and from three to two ex officio members -- at the Housing Commission's request.