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Centralia Middle School students ask council for smoke- and vape-free parks, staff to study signage and options
Summary
Eighth-grade members of the Centralia Middle School Prevention Club presented concerns about tobacco and vaping waste near play areas and asked the council to consider a 100-foot smoke‑free playground buffer, a proclamation or park signs; Parks Director Amy Butler agreed to follow up with staff.
Members of the Centralia Middle School Prevention Club urged the City Council on April 22 to reduce tobacco and vaping exposure and cigarette waste in city parks and asked the council to consider a local ordinance, proclamation or signage.
Glenda Albers Price introduced four eighth-grade students who described observations of cigarette butts and vaping waste near playground equipment and cited worries about infants and toddlers who put items in their mouths. The students showed photos taken in parks and referenced local examples of smoke- and vape-free park policies in other jurisdictions.
The students presented three possible actions: adopt an ordinance prohibiting smoking within 100 feet of playgrounds; issue a city proclamation supporting smoke‑free parks; or install bilingual signs (English/Spanish) encouraging smoke‑free behavior. They said the idea grew from school discussions and reported broad peer and staff support for the project at Centralia Middle School.
Council members and staff repeatedly praised the students’ presentation. Councilors said signage and a public statement could shift norms and reduce litter even if enforcement resources were limited. Several councilors observed that enforcement capacity is constrained by current police staffing and that an educational or signage-first approach could provide a measurable reduction in waste and secondhand exposure without immediate enforcement.
Amy Butler, deputy city manager and parks director, told the club she would take contact information, review implementation considerations with parks staff, and bring a staff perspective back to council. Butler and the mayor noted the city could examine a parks-based approach and return recommendations, and invited the students to remain part of any follow-up discussion.
Students cited local examples they researched: signage used by Elma and Tenino parks, and smoke‑free park policies in Bonney Lake, Lakewood and Pierce County. The council did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting; rather, staff accepted the request to research legal, signage and operational implications and to contact the presenters for follow-up.
What’s next: Parks staff will review examples, cost and placement of signage, any legal considerations for ordinance language, and potential coordination with public-health partners. The student group offered to assist with sign designs and to provide an initial supply of signs if the city moves forward with a pilot installation.
The council encouraged the students to continue civic engagement and thanked the club and their educators for preparing the packet and presentation.
