02-01-2007, 02:39 AM
Smoking or non-smoking, those are words people in one eastern Kentucky town won't hear anymore when they go out to dinner.
It's a sign that smokers in Paintsville are getting used to. But on the first day of a smoking ban in local restaurants, managers say the former smoking section is already full of Non smokers.
"We have more opportunity to seat people, whereas before we had people waiting on Sunday for nonsmoking, now we have 55 to 60 more seats," Vickie Collins, Bob Evans Manager, said.
All traces of the old smoking section have been washed away.
Collins says she had all carpeting, seat cushions, curtains, and even the ceilings thoroughly cleaned.
"To make sure that any of our nonsmoking clients that would sit there could be smoke free and wouldn't smell anything,"
Health department officials spent the day handing out signs and balloons to remind everyone about the ban.
Connie Meeks says that before the ban, it didn't matter if you were a smoker or not, or where you sat.
"There is no such thing as a nonsmoking or smoking section. smoke knows no boundaries," Connie Meek said.
The ban even has some local employees thinking twice about lighting up.
"For smokers it's bad, but for people who don't it's the best, cause we have a lot of kids that come in here, and a lot of people do smoker in there, so it's pretty rough on the kids," Eli Cline said.
Officials at the Johnson County Health Department say they offer services to help you quit smoking and it costs five dollars.
http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/5433151.html
It's a sign that smokers in Paintsville are getting used to. But on the first day of a smoking ban in local restaurants, managers say the former smoking section is already full of Non smokers.
"We have more opportunity to seat people, whereas before we had people waiting on Sunday for nonsmoking, now we have 55 to 60 more seats," Vickie Collins, Bob Evans Manager, said.
All traces of the old smoking section have been washed away.
Collins says she had all carpeting, seat cushions, curtains, and even the ceilings thoroughly cleaned.
"To make sure that any of our nonsmoking clients that would sit there could be smoke free and wouldn't smell anything,"
Health department officials spent the day handing out signs and balloons to remind everyone about the ban.
Connie Meeks says that before the ban, it didn't matter if you were a smoker or not, or where you sat.
"There is no such thing as a nonsmoking or smoking section. smoke knows no boundaries," Connie Meek said.
The ban even has some local employees thinking twice about lighting up.
"For smokers it's bad, but for people who don't it's the best, cause we have a lot of kids that come in here, and a lot of people do smoker in there, so it's pretty rough on the kids," Eli Cline said.
Officials at the Johnson County Health Department say they offer services to help you quit smoking and it costs five dollars.
http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/5433151.html
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