Mideastern cultural pastime clashes with towns' ordinances
Jump to full article: Connecticut Post, 2009-06-27
Author: Noelle Frampton STAFF WRITER
Intro: Sky is apparently the first hookah lounge in Fairfield County and one of two in the region that opened this month. Trying to brew a new, culturally diverse pastime, the lounges unintentionally stoked up controversy and confusion among local and state officials who are mulling where they fit in with the state ban on smoking in public places.
The confusion is evident in the reactions of Fairfield and Milford's health departments -- both of which initially told the lounges not to serve food or alcohol on the premises but didn't bar them from opening. Fairfield approved the opening after an inspection.
Milford's department forced The Olive Tree Hookah Lounge to close June 19, about two weeks after it opened in a small shopping plaza on Bridgeport Avenue, citing state law and city ordinance.
However, the department rescinded that order on Friday, following an appeal by Olive Tree owner Sammer Karout and his attorney. . . .
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said his office wasn't consulted regarding the lounges and he'd been unaware of them until contacted by a reporter last week.
They seem "problematic" under state law, but he'd need to know all the details to know whether they're within legal boundaries, he said, adding that the smoking ban is typically enforced by local police.
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