OCEAN CITY – Designated smoking areas in Ocean City’s parks will be considered, despite lighting up recently being banned.

During a Recreation and Parks Commission meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Recreation and Parks Director Susan Petito brought attention to a discrepancy between the Town of Ocean City’s smoking regulations in parks passed in 2011 and the law that was amended this year when the Mayor and Council implemented designated smoking regulations on the beach and Boardwalk.

“Originally … it [law] identifies specific parks with playgrounds. These were specifically identified as no smoking because we believed we could monitor and enforce these particular areas,” Petito said.

The ordinance passed in 2011 lists smoking is unlawful at the Ocean Bowl Skate Park, Ocean City Tennis Center, playgrounds at Bayside Park on 4th Street, Robin Park, Little Salisbury Park, Northside Park, Gorman Park and North Surf Park and the tennis courts at 3rd Street.

“In the process, we ended up with smoking and vaping being unlawful at parks but the specification of playgrounds was removed from most except for Bayside Park,” Petito said. “We are now in an awkward situation where we are prohibiting smoking in parks but we are not prohibiting it in all of our parks. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

The council amended the ordinance last month to include smoking and vaping, which is an electronic smoking device, as unlawful at the Ocean Bowl Skate Park, Ocean City Tennis Center, playgrounds at Bayside Park, the tennis courts at 3rd Street, Robin Park, Little Salisbury Park, Northside Park, Gorman Park, North Surf Park and Sunset Park.

“Enforcement will be very difficult,” Petito said of the ordinance including parks in general. “The thing about the original was it included areas that were easily definable … there will be growing pains. Our softball leagues for example are used to not being allowed to smoke in the dugouts and now it is not smoking in the park at all.”

Petito added if it was the intention of the council to include all parks the Inlet Park, Entry Park, Convention Center Park, Jamestown Road Park, Fiesta Park and 94^th St. Fishing Pier should also be included.

“If we have designated smoking areas on the beach, we should have them in the parks as well. That way people can co-exist at our parks as well,” Council President Lloyd Martin said.

The commission was in consensus to have staff further review all parks in regard to smoking and potential designated smoking areas in the parks. Staff will return to the commission next month with a recommendation that will be forwarded to the full Mayor and City Council for approval.