Village of Valatie Creates Healthy Playgrounds and Parks to Support Healthier Community

The Village of Valatie is now home to tobacco-free parks following the Village Board of Trustees' unanimous approval of a tobacco-free parks policy earlier this spring. New tobacco-free signs have been installed throughout village parks to inform residents and visitors of the policy. The policy applies to all forms of smoking and vaping.

Mayor Frank Bevens said the policy was the result of dedicated community members speaking up after noticing smoking at the village playground. Bevens highlighted the strong civic engagement of Valatie residents, emphasizing that the initiative truly came from the community.

The signs were provided at no cost to the village by Tobacco Free Action Communities in Columbia & Greene (TFAC), the twin counties' grant-funded tobacco prevention program. According to Community Engagement Coordinator Jen Reilly Bluma, “The statewide goal of our local programs is to reduce tobacco-related diseases and deaths by preventing youth tobacco use before it starts. Establishing a tobacco-free norm in our public spaces is an important step toward this goal.” Downloadable image.

Youth are the primary users of e-cigarettes, according to the latest New York Youth Tobacco Survey (NY-YTS), released in October 2025. In New York State, 13.1% of young people use e-cigarettes compared with 6.1% of adults. E-cigarettes also remain the most commonly used tobacco product among youth.

Eighteen-year-old Valatie resident and former Reality Check member Duncan Teasdale-Ulrich said, “I think this program is great. I really enjoy the parks in our village and am so glad they are tobacco- and vape-free.” Duncan graduated from Ichabod Crane High School in June and will attend Pratt Institute's film program in Brooklyn this fall.

Under New York State Public Health Law, all state and municipal parks have been smoke-free since 2022. However, state law does not fully address the use of all vaping products in public parks. Municipalities may adopt local tobacco-free policies that are more comprehensive than state law. For example, in the nearby Village of Chatham, a tobacco-free policy applies to Village property and in public parks. The ordinance, adopted by the Board of Trustees in July 2024, includes a $100 fine for a first offense and a $250 fine for a second or subsequent offense.

For more than 25 years, New York State has been a leader in advancing strong and effective tobacco control policies. Tobacco-free parks help reduce opportunities for youth tobacco use and vaping, supporting efforts to prevent nicotine addiction. These policies also protect residents and visitors from exposure to secondhand smoke and e-cigarette aerosol emissions.

To learn more about the harmful health impacts of vaping, visit https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/e-cigarettes-vaping/what-you-should-know.

For resources on how communities can create tobacco-free public spaces and protect residents from all forms of smoking and vaping, contact TFAC (Tobacco Free Action Communities) at [email protected].

About TFAC Columbia Greene: 

Tobacco Free Action Communities in Columbia & Greene, a program of the American Lung Association, is a network of local agencies and individuals working together to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use and to promote healthy communities. TFAC Columbia Greene serves Columbia and Greene counties in New York State. TFAC is funded by the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Tobacco Control. To learn more visit: https://Tobaccofreenys.org/ and https://www.Lung.org/.