Mike Slager - Holland, MI Realtor

For those of you who enjoy the Holland State Park you may be pleased to know there will be a new choice for food (other than the always delicious Ottawa Beach Inn). The ruling on the Smitty's Pronto Pups restaurant has finally been made in favor of the township (see the Holland Sentinel article here), thus allowing the restaurant to start building. As of right now I haven't heard a date, but I will be sure to pass it on when I do!

No matter what my stand may/or may not be on the issue of conditional zoning, I will be happy to have a delicious corndog stand open so close to the beach and my home!!!!!!

Mark, happy to have you and your fried goodness in the neighborhood!

We'll try round two at this blog! I was silly enough not to type this in word, pressed submit and... well you probably know where I am goin!

I myself am not a smoker. Oh, I enjoy the occasional cigar, but the anti-smoking laws shouldn't stop that! There was an article in the Holland Sentinel (click on the name to read the article) recently concerning the "voluntary" movement of bar and restaurant owners to "smoke-free". Here in the downtown Holland area , there are exactly two places that allow smoking on a full-time basis (one bar/restaurant allows it after 10PM). The State of Michigan is currently working on legislation that bars it from any public building.

There are, of course, two opposing sides to this legislation (and to the idea of a smoke free bars and restaurants in general). I totally can see and understand both sides.

One side says, "If you ban smoking then bars and restaurants are going to lose major business". Some from this side also say, "Smokers should have the right to kill themselves if they want to". I think most of us would agree the second doesn't hold a lot of water as there is no stopping second hand smoke, which may be as or more dangerous. The first argument is interesting though, and I will come back to it in a minute.

The other side of the argument is that if you ban smoking inside bars and restaurants more people will be likely to go to them. Also, there is of course the health thing...

My thoughts are this:

•- It does suck to go to your favorite watering hole, sit down then have to leave because you can barely see through the cloud of smoke, your eyes and nose burning. You get home and you need to shower and you feel like you need to burn your clothes to get the smoke out!

•- Bars and Restaurants are businesses, what if they want to be a "smokers" bar? I too am a business, what if someone told me I was not allowed to be a "First Time Buyer Specialist"?

I would love to hear what your thoughts are!