Posted on 12/16/2003 4:18:39 AM PST by SheLion
Smokers will face a new choice of bars in the new year ahead. While some bars will be entirely smoke-free, including many in the greater Augusta area, others have spent thousands of dollars to build covered annexes for their smoking clientele in preparation for Maine's ban on smoking in bars next year.
Maine legislators (AND THE RINO'S INCLUDED) passed the ban on smoking in bars and taverns in June, joining New York, California and Delaware in extending smoke-free environments to one of the last bastions of public indoor smoking. The ban takes effect Jan. 1, and experience in other states suggests the crowds will spill onto the sidewalks to light up.
Bravo's Mexican Restaurant in Augusta is one outlet that built a patio specially to accommodate smokers.
"We built it this (past) fall, so we can have people eat and smoke outside if they want to," said Brodie Tewkesbury, the outlet's manager. "So when (the smoking ban) comes into effect, we can have people smoke outside."
The concrete patio, which is uncovered, is behind the Bangor Street restaurant.
But by and large, bars in the Augusta area are not trying to soften the blow for smokers. Those include The Wharf and The Liberal Cup in Hallowell and Tilbury Town Tavern and the Depot Pub in Gardiner.
"We're sticking with the ban," one employee at The Liberal Cup said.
Bars farther north are beating the ban, however. At least three have completed or are erecting such smoking rooms. Their owners are motivated mainly by business motivation -- to keep their smoking patrons -- but some of them also are trying to dissuade smoking customers from illegally taking their drinks with them outside for cigarette breaks.
"We don't want people going out on the street to smoke, so we're building a deck for smokers to go out and smoke in," said Jibryne "Gubby" Karter, owner of Waterville's Bob-In Tavern.
"(Otherwise) we'll have the police coming round. We want to make sure (customers) are not trying to sneak out (to smoke) with beers. That makes more of a mess on the sidewalk."
Karter is building a 12-by-20 feet enclosure. The roofed space will be open on one side, according to directions laid down by the district attorney's office. The rest of the walls are wooden, with tinted glass windows and a space heater "to take the chill out."
In all, Karter said he will sink $5,000 to $10,000 into the project.
"We got the platform section built," Karter said. "It will all be under construction until the end of next week."
On Skowhegan's Main Street, the South Side Tavern is building a latticed enclosure for its smokers.
"I'd much rather have (smoking customers) in a controlled area like that," said owner Bart Hughes, a nonsmoker.
Like the other tavern owners, Hughes had to wade through a small sea of bureaucracy to get the annex up. That includes inspections by the Fire Department and the state's liquor licensing agents. The Waterville bars got approvals from the local code enforcement officers as well as the district attorney's office.
South Side's smoking patrons are pleased.
"I like it," said Eben Miller, 48. "Ninety percent of people who come in here smoke."
Other bar owners, including nonsmokers, are more strident in opposing the ban.
"The more comfortable I make it, the less it hurts me," said Fred Karter, the nonsmoking owner of Waterville's Chez bar. "I want to show my customers I appreciate them. It's pretty unfair. They let private clubs do it (allow indoor smoking). I've never smoked in my life, but I don't consider smokers criminals. We think we have to regulate everything."
Fred Karter is building an 11-by-20-foot latticed annex shielded with glass panels. He is spending more than $4,000 on construction materials and building much of it himself. He estimates that 98 percent of his customers smoke.
But for the annex builders, it is a matter of doing business.
"It's an intangible -- 75 percent of my people drink and smoke, and a lot of people tell me they only smoke in bars," said Bob-In's Gubby Karter. "How much will (the new ban) affect us? Initially about 10 percent. I'm hoping it's not worse than that. We're doing everything we can to accommodate (the smokers). We don't want 20 people outside with their butts on the ground and everything."
Chuin-Wei Yap - 8619253
ychuin@centralmaine.com
Once every year, ABC issues new licenses in counties where the population has increased enough to allow more licenses.
Population increase is NOT a demand for smokefree venues. And your little chart only shows new applications - not how many old ones did not re-apply, nor how many of them were already license holders that changed names or locations, both reasons for "new" applications.
"Cower?"
What are you, insane?
Do you regularly go to restaurants that serve food you don't enjoy to support the local small business owner?
You don't?
You mean you cower at home instead?
What makes you think that patronizing an establishment that doesn't allow smoking would be conducive to smokers' enjoying themselves?
And increasing numbers of smokers (myself included) don't pay high cigarette taxes, by the expedient of rolling their own.
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