THE ARK NOW SMOKE-FREE

Frequently Asked Questions


Why is The Ark going smoke-free?

First and foremost, we are taking into account the comfort of our patrons, volunteers, and staff, the majority of whom do not smoke. Although the previous policy limits smoking to one of our hallways, it is not possible for non-smokers to avoid exposure to smoke.

Also, patrons in wheelchairs and other people who can’t use stairs have to go through the current smoking area to get to the listening room. This has been an ongoing problem.

In recent years, we have received an increasing number of complaints and expressed concerns from our patrons regarding smoke in The Ark. In keeping with The Ark’s mission to provide a welcoming atmosphere for all people to listen to, learn about, perform, and share music, and given that any smoke in the venue has the ability to affect everyone, we felt it was important to seriously consider this issue and, having done so, respond with this change in policy.

Who made the decision to go smoke-free?

Extensive background work was done jointly by our Facilities Committee, Marketing Committee and members of the Ark staff. They talked with patrons, volunteers, staff, other music venues, building and ventilation experts, etc. After gathering information and reviewing various options, they made a recommendation to The Ark’s Board of Directors to adopt a smoke-free policy. After careful consideration, The Ark’s Board of Directors voted to implement this Smoke-Free Policy.

Why wait until August 1?

We recognize that this is a significant change for The Ark and some of its patrons. We wanted to ensure ourselves adequate time to inform our patrons of this change and help ease our smoking patrons into the new policy.

Did The Ark consider relocating the smoking area or somehow enclosing it?

Yes, we started by trying to find a way to have a smoking area that wouldn’t affect our non-smoking patrons. The Ark’s Facilities Committee spent several months exploring ways to contain the smoke or isolate a smoking area within the club. Given the club’s small size and physical layout, they concluded that there was no viable alternative location. The Facilities Committee also looked into ventilation and found out that to have any effective improvement in smoke removal we would have to enclose the smoking area, which also wasn’t a viable option.

Will people be allowed to go outside to smoke?

Yes! Although we’ve historically had a no re-entry policy, we’re going to give re-entry a try, in part to accommodate patrons who may wish to step outside during a show in order to smoke.

We would ask our patrons who take advantage of this re-entry policy to be considerate of our neighbors on Main Street. This will enable us to continue with this change in our re-entry policy.

Are you concerned that you will lose some of your audience as a result of this policy?

We hope that our smoking patrons will understand why we implemented this policy and continue to support and enjoy the music at The Ark. We are also aware that many people have chosen not to attend shows at The Ark due to the potential presence of smoke in the venue. We hope this group will now regularly attend shows at the club.

What’s taken you so long? Why wasn’t this step taken years ago?

We’ve been considering this issue since the fall of 2002 when The Ark was the subject of an informal audit conducted by three members of the Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues. This audit found The Ark to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of disabled persons, the one exception being that it was necessary for wheelchair users to pass through the smoking area in order to reach their seats. That input, coupled with the implementation of Washtenaw County’s ordinance banning smoking in public places in 2003, got us started on reviewing our current policy and looking at various options.

We hope that our patrons will appreciate the conscientious deliberation The Ark has undertaken in considering this issue. We firmly believe it is the right thing to do.