BARRE – The City Council inched a little closer to banning smoking in Barre's parks this week following a public hearing that saw one resident speak in favor of the change and one council member say he can't quite bring himself to support it.

Interested residents will have one more opportunity weigh in before the council votes on the proposed smoking ban and other park-related restrictions. A second public hearing will be held next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.

Though some have questioned the need to prohibit people from smoking in the city's parks and playgrounds the only residents who went out of his way to weigh in on the issue this week said he thinks it's a good idea.

Troubled by the “thousands” of discarded cigarette butts he sees in City Hall Park, South Main Street resident Curtis

Bevington told councilors he favored the proposed ban.

“It should decrease (the amount of smoking) and make the area look a whole lot better,” he said.

Bevington said he believed the proposed ban would be reasonably easy to enforce if patrolling the parks became a focus for the bike patrol and police paid just a little more attention to them.

For the complete story, see Friday's Times Argus.