Lyle Hoskins wouldn’t have been fighting mad had the city council’s vote gone against implementing a smoking ban beginning July 1 for events at the Admiral Coontz Recreation Center. However, the head coach and trainer of the Hannibal Armory Boxing Club admitted Wednesday he is pleased with the council’s decision.
“I’m definitely happy about it,” he said.
Even when no one is smoking in the armory, Hoskins says the odor lingers.
“You can smell it, especially if you’ve been outside for a long time and walk in there like today,” he said. “When the kids (boxers) come down, this is the only place they’ve got to run during the winter time. They can smell that.”
At the club’s recent boxing event at the armory, smoking was prohibited.
“We had 250 people down there. We put up a big sign that said ‘no smoking, please’ and no one complained and no one smoked in there. They all went outside and smoked during the break,” said Hoskins, who took the step for the sake of the athletes. “You get those boxers up there fighting and people don’t realize it, but they (boxers) are trying to breathe and all that smoke is hovering over the top of them. It really kills them.”
Hoskins was not alone in his support of the smoking ban. Some of the participants at Wednesday’s senior dance in the armory also backed the council’s decision.
“I’m glad,” said Lucia Arnold of Barry, Ill., who is a non-smoker. “I don’t want to be breathing anyone’s stale smoke.”
“I feel it should be smoke free. If they want to smoke they can go outside,” said Rose Curfman of Hannibal. “Smoking is not good for your health. So many folks have emphysema and don’t need to be around smoke.”
“It’s fine with me. None of the people we play for smoke, so it will not bother this crowd,” said Betty Miller of Hannibal, adding she understands the argument of those concerned about seeing an individual’s rights being limited.
Ray C. Taylor of Camp Point, Ill., who is a fixture at the senior dances, says his wife and two sister-in-laws died of complications resulting from smoking.
“I’m strictly against it,” he said. “I want the building to be smoke free.”
While not there for the senior dance, Lanning King of Hannibal was in the armory Wednesday afternoon and expressed his support for the ban.
“It’s a positive thing,” he said. “A lot of kids come down. It’s probably better that way.”
Chris Atkinson, director of the Hannibal Parks and Recreation Department, said he was expecting a mixed response.
“I’m sure I’ll hear positive comments from the non-smokers, ‘it’s a positive thing’ and ‘it’s a good thing for the building,”’ he said. “From the opposite side of the spectrum I’m sure I’ll hear that we should have left things as they were.”
Atkinson is glad the policy is changing, although he would not have bet on the issue’s outcome.
“Going into the meeting last night I had no idea which way this was going to go,” he said. “I was pleased and pleasantly surprised that the final result was what it was.”
Language revisions were underway Wednesday to parks department rental contracts involving the armory.
“Later on this spring and early summer we’ll promote to the public what’s going on down there so there’s no confusion when this is going to take place,” said Atkinson, noting the new contracts won’t be used until July 1.
According to Atkinson, the new armory rental agreement will stipulate that it will be the responsibility of the person or organization leasing the building to ensure that the non-smoking stipulation is obeyed.
Hannibal, MO —
