Police join health workers to cite bar owners with smoking violations

WILLIAM K. ALCORN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

AUSTINTOWN —The Mahoning County Board of Health is stepping up enforcement of Ohio’s smoke-free workplace law.

Health Commissioner Matthew Stefanak said department sanitarians issued notices of violation, which occurred on Feb. 12, to two bars in Austintown and one in Sebring. Both had previously received violation warning letters.

Stefanak said police accompanied the sanitarians in both communities.

“They are health enforcement officers, but are not armed. So, we turned to the police for help,” he said.

The Austintown bars cited are Ball Buster’s, 3661 Mahoning Ave.; and Billy’s, 40 S. Meridian Road. The Sebring bar is Birdie’s Recreation, 126 E. Oregon Ave.

Each could be fined up to $1,000, Stefanak said.

The health department can only respond to complaints that have been filed with the Ohio Department of Health. The objective of the smoking ban is to protect workers and customers from the dangers of second-hand smoke, officials have said.

There have been 541 complaints filed in Mahoning County since enforcement of the law began in earnest in May 2007. The number of complaints has tapered off over time to an average of one or two a week, and most of those are from just a few places, Stefanak said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.