BANGOR (AP) – A stronger exhaust system and more insulation at a smoker’s lounge are credited with curbing the infiltration of smoke into a pizza shop next door.

“It has pretty much subsided,” said Phillip Nadeau, owner of Spanky’s Pizza, who complained last month after cigar smoke began to overpower the aroma of cheese and garlic. “I made a stink because on a scale of one to 10, it was a 12,” Nadeau said.

The owner of the Cigar & Smoke Shoppe, Frank Coglitore, responded by installing an extra exhaust fan and upgrading the thin wall separating the two businesses on Main Street.

“The hallway that brings you down into the basement was not finished,” he said. “It was exposed. It had one sheet of Sheetrock. We filled in all the cracks, and insulated everything to button it up.”

Nadeau says that while he can still smell the smoke at times, it has become much less noticeable. “Right now everything seems to be fine,” he said. “As long as it stays that way, I’ll be satisfied. I’m just glad it got resolved.”

Maine law bans smoking in enclosed areas of public places, but the Cigar & Smoke Shoppe was granted an exception because cigar shop customers are smokers and Coglitore is the sole owner and operator.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

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