565.04 RULES AND REGULATIONS.
(a) The following rules and regulations are hereby ordained and established for the conduct of the parks and recreation areas of the City and the use thereof by the public:
(1) The parks shall be open daily to all residents of Cuyahoga Falls, on equal terms, and none shall be given special privilege therein or be permitted to make use of them for any purpose not practically common to all, and not in consonance with the proper uses of a park or recreation area.
The parks shall be used only during the hours from sunrise to sunset unless authorization is given by the Park and Recreation Board or the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation.
(2) The parks are constructed and maintained for the use of the residents of Cuyahoga Falls, but the driveways and roads therein shall be used only by persons, carriages, automobiles and other vehicles used for purposes of pleasure and any person on horseback, and the walks and paths are reserved for the exclusive use of pedestrians. Horses may not travel in any park except upon bridle paths, driveways or roads.
Heavily laden vehicles, automobiles, trucks or vehicles carrying or ordinarily used in carrying merchandise, goods, tools, material or rubbish, market wagons, milk wagons, dirt carts, moving vans, drays, trucks or teams of traffic, except as may be used in the park service, are prohibited from passing over the driveways in any part of the park.
Nothing contained in this subsection shall be held to conflict with the established rights of travel or occupancy of any of the public streets or avenues running around the parks.
(3) No person shall ride or drive upon any part of or portion of any park at a rate of speed exceeding fifteen miles per hour. Every person so using the driveways, roads, parkways and bridle paths shall, as to rate of speed of driving or riding thereon and as to moving or driving on, or stopping any automobile, vehicle, horse or team in such rides or drives, be subject to and shall obey the orders of any police officer or Park and Recreation Board employee, whenever in the judgment of such officer or employee, the safety or convenience of those using such rides or drives shall require a greater or less rate of speed than that at which such person shall be riding or driving, or that he ride or drive on, or stop. All animals or vehicles in motion shall keep to the right.
(4) No automobile, vehicle or animal shall be permitted to stand upon any driveway, road or parkway to the obstruction thereof or to the inconvenience of travel, nor shall any person solicit passengers within or upon the park. Automobiles and vehicles shall be driven only in the designated roadways and driveways. Hitching horses or other animals to any tree, shrub, fence, railing, building or other structure, except such as are provided for such purpose, or allowing horses or other animals to stand unhitched while the driver or attendant is beyond reach of such horse or other animal, is prohibited.
(5) No person shall place or suffer to remain in or upon any park or parkway any goods, merchandise or other articles in the nature of an obstruction to the use and enjoyment of the park or parkway; nor shall any person place any straw, dirt, chips, paper, shavings, shells, ashes, swill or garbage, or other rubbish, even though not offensive to health, in or upon the same. No person shall distribute any circulars, cards or other written or printed matter in any park or parkway. The provisions of this subsection shall in no way affect any existing structure or other building or electric, sewer or water facility of the City. In the event the City Engineer recommends the future construction of sewer or water lines under any City park or playground, such utilities may be constructed, provided the park or playground is restored to its original condition after such utility improvement is completed. If the City desires to construct any other structure or building for any utility purposes in any City park or playground, permission to construct such structure or facility must first be obtained from the Park and Recreation Board.
(6) The placing of any unauthorized structure, sign, bulletin board or advertising device of any kind whatever, or the erection of any post or pole, or the attachment of any notice, bill, poster, sign, wire, rod or card to any tree, shrub, fence, railing, foundation, wall or post, or the placing of any advertising, decorative or other device of any kind whatever, on any of the vases, statues, bridges or monuments in any park or parkway is prohibited.
The Park and Recreation Board or the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation may permit the erection of temporary decorations on occasions of public celebrations or holidays.
(7) No person shall remove, destroy, break, injure, mutilate or deface in any way any structure, monument, statue, vase, fountain, wall, fence, railing, vehicle, bench, tree, shrub, fern, plant, flower or any other property in any park or parkway. No person other than an employee of the parks shall bring into any of the parks or have in his possession while therein, any tree, shrub or plant.
(8) Domesticated animals shall not be allowed to run at large, and, if found within the park limits, may be impounded. Dogs on a leash held in the hand of a person, in a manner which continuously controls the animal, unless in a designated dog park, shall be allowed within the parks. No animals of any kind shall be allowed to enter any of the lakes, ponds, fountains or streams. Owners of dogs or other animals damaging or destroying park property will be held liable for the full value of the property damaged or destroyed in addition to the penalty imposed for a violation of this section.
(9) Picnics and picnicking groups are not prohibited from occupying the parks for such purposes, but no person shall join any such party without the consent of the persons of whom it shall be composed, or shall in any manner disturb or interfere with the same.
(10) No gambling of any kind will be permitted in the parks. Portions of the park may be set apart by the Superintendent and/or the Board for play or other games.
(11) Solicitors, agents, peddlers, etc., are prohibited from plying their trades in the parks.
(12) Climbing any tree or walking, standing or sitting upon the monuments, vases, fountains, railings, fences or copings is prohibited.
(13) The use of firecrackers, torpedoes or explosives of any kind within the parks is prohibited unless authorized by the Board and bond is given in an amount suitable to the Chief of the Fire Department.
(14) No person shall use any weapon, stick, stone or missile of any kind for the destruction or injury of or to any wild or domestic animal or fish within the park limits.
(15) No person shall go onto the ice on any of the lakes, ponds or streams in the parks, except such as are designated as skating fields and only when a safety signal is displayed.
(16) Sleeping or protracted lounging on the seats or benches, loud, boisterous, threatening or abusive, insulting or indecent language or disorderly conduct or behavior, or any act tending to a breach of the public peace is strictly prohibited.
(17) No person shall bring into and/or possess in any park any intoxicating liquor or alcoholic beverage. Alcohol may be served at events sponsored by the City of Cuyahoga Falls in High Bridge Glens and Keyser Park Farmstead and only with the written permission of the Park and Recreation Superintendent. No intoxicated person shall be allowed to enter or remain within any of the parks.
(18) No person shall enter any building, enclosure or structures which are closed or upon which the words "No admittance" are displayed or posted by sign, placard or otherwise, without the consent of the Superintendent or other officer.
(19) No person shall injure, deface or destroy any notice of the rules and regulations for the government of the parks, which shall have been posted or permanently fixed by order or permission of the Board or Superintendent.
(20) Fishing, wading, swimming or bathing in any of the lakes, ponds, fountains, or streams, is prohibited except in places so designated by the Board.
(21) No person shall resist any member of the Police Department in the discharge of his duty within the limits of any City park, nor in any manner interfere or hinder or prevent him from discharging his duty, nor in any manner assist any person in custody of any member of the Police Department to escape or attempt to rescue any person in custody.
(22) Permits to use various posted areas or other facilities shall be issued to applicants by the Superintendent or his designated agent. A system of fees and charges may be set up for use of certain designated parks or facilities after approval by the Board, which shall have the discretion to refuse the issuance of a permit for just cause.
(23) It shall be the duty of every person claiming to have a permit from the Board and the Superintendent or any of its officers to produce and exhibit such permit upon the request of any authorized person who shall desire to inspect the same.
(24) All permits issued by the Superintendent shall be subject to the park rules and regulations and City ordinances, and the person to whom such permit shall be issued shall be bound by such rules, regulations and ordinances as though the same were inserted in such permit. Any person to whom such permit shall be issued shall be liable for any loss, damage or injury sustained by reason of the negligence of the person or persons to whom such permits shall be issued as well as for any breach of such rules, regulations and ordinances, to the person or persons so suffering damages or injury.
(25) The word "Board" and the term “the Board" as used in these rules and regulations means “the Park and Recreation Board members of Cuyahoga Falls", and the word, "Superintendent" means the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, Cuyahoga Falls.
(26) Persons riding motorcycles or in automobiles shall possess all the rights and privileges and shall be subject to all the rules and regulations, not in conflict with the provisions hereof, which are prescribed for persons riding motorcycles or in automobiles on the public highways of the City.
(27) No golf equipment of any kind, including but not limited to golf clubs, golf balls and golf shoes, shall be used in the parks unless authorized by the Board or the Superintendent.
(Ord. 64-1965. Passed 4-26-65; Ord. 157-1980. Passed 10-13-80; Ord. 70-2019. Passed 10-28-19; Ord. 14-2022. Passed 2-14-22.)