Hookahs prompt smoking ban push in Sleepy Hollow

SLEEPY HOLLOW - A new nuisance at a village park is prompting officials to consider a smoking ban at all local parks and playgrounds.

Hookahs.

Complaints from residents about groups of youngsters using the elaborate pipes at Reverend Sykes Park led to the proposed amendment to the village code, which is the subject of a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday. 

“They’re complaining about the noise," Mayor Ken Wray said. "In certain Eastern cultures, it’s a cultural thing. It’s different types of tobacco, nothing illegal. But it’s been something that’s been an irritant for folks. And, you know, it’s a playground. You shouldn’t be smoking in a playground. Period.” 

Hookahs are tall water pipes, usually elaborate in design, consisting of one or more long stems which allow one or more users to smoke simultaneously. Tobacco is drawn through water inside the hookah.

Hookahs have become increasingly popular in the U.S. in recent years, with parlors sprouting up throughout the country. They have raised concerns among some because they can also be used to smoke marijuana or other illegal substances.

But that's not necessarily the issue in Sleepy Hollow. In fact, the new law would ban all smoking at parks and playgrounds, not just hookahs.

“I know enough about hookahs that it’s not all aging, ‘60's dopers," Wray said. "But that’s certainly one of the things people think about a lot.”

“It’ll be smoking in general," he said of the proposed ban. "Then we don’t have to worry about what it is. It’s a quality of life issue. It’s not so much what you’re smoking. It’s that you can’t.”

Chapter 295 of the Sleepy Hollow Village Code, which addresses parks and recreation areas, dictates hours of operation but does not prohibit smoking. The proposed amendment would change that by banning all smoking in all parks and playgrounds.

The would include at Sykes Park, which is on the village's border with Tarrytown.

IF YOU GO

The public hearing on the proposal will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Sleepy Hollow Village Hall, 28 Beekman Ave.

Twitter: @jfitzgibbon