Residents air smoke ban views

Residents air smoke ban views
Buffalo Grove goes smoke free starting in October
Originally published Wednesday, April 19, 2006

By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer

Moonsook Takahashi is relieved that she'll now have some legal backing to tell the young smokers who loiter around her restaurant to move away.
A day after the village of Buffalo Grove passed a smoking ban, Takahashi spoke of the issue inside her husband's Masa's Sushi restaurant, part of the village's Town Center.
"I don't like smoke," she said. "I think it's a very good idea."
She said those who spend time at the nearby eSkape bowling alley often wander over to the restaurant and smoke outside. Starting in October, they must be 20 feet away from any public entrance.
Many restaurant owners agree with Takahashi and supported the village in banning smoking, but some, mostly restaurants with an attached bar, are concerned their business will be adversely affected.
Bill Feldgreber, the owner of eSkape, was the lone voice speaking against a smoking ban at the village's meeting Monday.
He said many other towns with similar ordinances exempt bowling alleys. He said since the rest of the entertainment facility is already smoke-free, the bar area - where he gets much of his income - should allow smokers.
Philip Angelos, owner of Teddy's Kitchen and Tap, agrees with that sentiment.
His restaurant has a cordoned-off section saved just for smokers. That bar area also has special ventilation, he said.
"I'm outraged," he said. "I'd hope that (the separated bar) would be enough for the village."
However, on Tuesday, Trustee Jeff Braiman, the head of an ad hoc committee that studied the ban, said the group considered excluding bars.
"Not everybody who goes to the bar smokes," he said. "Just because of the fact that it's self-contained, people still have the effects of the smoke."
The village heard more support than dissent in its discussions on the ban, Braiman said, and that is reflected in the restaurant community as well.
The Buffalo Restaurant restricted smoking of its own accord at the beginning of the year.
"We felt that we were jeopardizing our health," said Fay Katsogianos, part-owner. "It wasn't an easy decision, but it hasn't affected our business."
Amy Anders and Caryn Hollander, both village residents who visit The Buffalo at least once a week, said they love not having to smell smoke when they sit down to eat.
Hollander said she'd rather not expose her children to a cloud of smoke if she can prevent it.
"It definitely is a perk," she said.
Although the smoking ban was unanimously voted in Monday, it won't go into effect until Oct. 1. Trustee Jeff Berman asked for that extension - from the originally proposed date of July 1 - to allow for other towns to follow suit.
"It's somewhat of a compromise to hopefully placate and understand the businesses," Braiman said.

Facts about the Buffalo Grove smoking ban
- Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed public places, including restaurants and places of employment. There is no exemption for nursing homes, bars or open-air restaurants, although those were considered. Hotels, however, may designate 10 percent of their rooms for smokers.
- Smoking also is prohibited within 20 feet of a public entrance, window or ventilation system.
- Although the village decided against a ban on smoking outdoors in public, the park district already has its own rules on the books that prohibit lighting up in district-owned parks.
- The ordinance will go into effect Oct. 1 to give other towns in the area a chance to consider their own bans so that Buffalo Grove businesses will not be adversely affected.
- Anyone caught violating the ban can be punished with a fine of $50. Those who own or operate a public space also are punishable by the same amount. Suspension or revocation of a permit or license also is possible.