Williamsburg gets anti-vaping award

The City of Williamsburg is being recognized for its efforts to curb vaping in the city.

Following Monday evening’s Williamsburg City Council meeting, Mayor Roddy Harrison announced that Williamsburg had been awarded the 2020 Smoke-free Excellence in E-Cigarettes Policy Award by the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy.

“We did a little video today. It is going to be a virtual awards ceremony,” Harrison told the council Monday.

The award was presented to the city for “their leadership and collaborative efforts in promoting the health of their citizens by strengthening their comprehensive local smoke-free ordinance to include e-cigarettes.”

The award is dated April 15, 2020.

Harrison noted that the award was supposed to have been presented in the spring, but like many other things got delayed due to COVID-19.

Last year, Williamsburg expanded its 2013 anti-smoking ordinance to include a ban on vaping in public buildings and public places.

“We took a lot of heat over that. We need that award,” added one councilwoman.