Orono Town Councilors are considering a request from locals to ban outdoor smoking near Hasbrouck Court, a low-income housing complex in the Downtown Village District.

This is an area where residents often gather to have a cigarette and some are complaining it is hazardous to those who are forced to walk through the smoke to get by. The issue was brought to the committee's attention by Dr. Sandra Hutchinson, who would like to see  sidewalks be smoke free.

Most of the residents of Hasbrouck Court are elderly or disabled and oppose the smoking ban because they wouldn't be able to walk further from where they are.

Orono Town Manager Sophie Wilson says she "Does't have the staff to prioritize enforcing smoking bans on sidewalks". The councilors say they’ll have to take a closer look at the issue before taking any action.

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