No protection from
second-hand smoke
It may surprise many Moorestown residents that they are legally defenseless against the second-hand smoke that pollutes the public library entrance and courtyard. Our township does not restrict smoking outside their buildings, facilities, or public recreation areas. Seniors, children, everyone, disabled or not, are forced to hold their breath when smokers need their nicotine-fix and turn the courtyard into a smoking lounge. Unfortunately, the sources of the tobacco smoke outside the Library also include teenagers who violate the existing under-age possession and use of tobacco law.
Since 2002, Burlington County has mandated that all courtyards and areas within 25 feet of County building and facility doorways be designated as smoke-free.
Over 260 New Jersey municipalities and townships have enacted similar smoke-free laws. More than 200 of these include the municipal and township owned recreation areas; their active children are not exposed to second-hand smoke in playgrounds and athletic fields as our Moorestown children are forced to endure from ignorant tobacco-addicted adults (parents).
Our community is well educated and well informed of the health risks of second-hand tobacco smoke.
Our support of the public schools and the passing of the school budget clearly demonstrates how seriously we invest ourselves in our children’s future. Why do we indifferently risk the health of our children and tolerate these legally drug-addicted adults who indiscriminately expose public bystanders to a known health risk? Perhaps the township solicitor can “cut and paste” a neighboring municipality’s existing smoke-free ordinance, follow the prescribed public notice requirement/review, and we can quickly resolve this problem.
Douglas Campbell
Library the wrong
place to make cuts
It is unfortunate that Gov. Christie has proposed a 75-percent decrease in aid for the State’s libraries. I support this administration’s several actions to reduce spending to close a significant budgetary gap but this is not one of them.
Some reduction in state aid may be considered necessary to contribute to closing the gap. This proposed decrease imposed on this constituency, however, is well beyond the need of sharing the burden.
A library is a valued asset for all towns. It serves its residents as an invaluable source of information and knowledge for our children, students, parents, families, senior citizens. What other institution allows you to borrow and make use of its goods and services free of charge, not encumbered by bias or prejudicial opinions. It is open to all!
The librarians must continue to express their concerns as to the impact this reduction in state aid will have on their town’s library. This administration must hear the voices and sentiment of citizens, the users of its services. The public’s voice of every town must be engaged with librarians to express the view that if this decrease in state aid remains, it will have dire consequences on the services offered to a town’s constituents.
A price cannot be put on the value of a library to a town’s quality of life, especially in our current environment. Libraries are meeting the challenges of our electronic age, offering computer usage for many different purposes.
The singularity of the public’s point of view to Gov. Christie to reconsider this unwarranted level of decrease is called for. Lincoln said: “With public sentiment, nothing will fail; without it, nothing will succeed.”
I hope the voice of the many constituents together joins with all librarians to express its opposition to this decrease in state aid, expressing the impact this will have on the services offered by libraries throughout the state.
It is not the time to staunch the advancement that libraries have made in serving their constituents.
Maintaining libraries and ensuring their ability to meet the challenges of today is an investment in the future of a town and this state.
Mike Nichols
