The Foster City park system has been designated a “Smoke Free” Zone, promoting park cleanliness and comfort and respiratory health for all park goers.

The Foster City Parks and Recreation Department received City Council approval at the May 3, 2010, City Council meeting to establish a smoke-free environment for all parks in Foster City after a positive experience with the 2009 initiative to make Foster City events smoke-free. The Parks and Recreation Committee unanimously supported the “Smoke-Free Parks” proposal.

Now that Foster City parks are smoke-free, the public will begin to see the following:

• Marquee signage promoting Foster City parks as smoke-free
• Smoke-free language in the park rental application
• Signage throughout the Foster City park system promoting smoke-free parks

The “Smoke-Free Parks” was adopted as a philosophy by the City Council, but no changes have been made to the Municipal Code. Enforcement of smoke-free parks will be undertaken through public education and voluntary cooperation.

Local cities can play a valuable role in improving the health of residents by creating more smoke-free spaces. More than 500 California events or organizations have adopted policies to create smoke-free areas or prohibit smoking, and more than 80 cities in California have smoke-free parks.

The Parks and Recreation Department promotes health and wellness. We hope you will take advantage of our smoke-free parks and events this summer.

For more information about smoke-free events, please contact Kevin Miller, Director of Parks and Recreation at 286-3388 or kmiller@fostercity.org.