(A) Application. This section applies to public parks described as park land, playgrounds, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and courts, rivers, trails, natural areas, open space, shelters, pavilions, and amenities within. It should also mean any other property owned, leased, used or controlled, wholly or partly by the city for parks and recreational use.
(B) Park hours. All public parks will close at 10:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and shall remain closed to the public until 6:00 a.m. on the next day. No person shall be in, remain in, enter or drive in a public park during the hours when such park is closed except for the following activities permitted in division (F).
(C) Posting of hours. The hours of operation of the parks shall be prominently posted in each park.
(D) Emergency. The City Administrator or their designee may close any public park at any time, and for such period as deemed necessary, in order to protect or restore order or terminate or prevent breaches of the peace and order of the city. No person having been informed of such an order closing any such area shall remain in the area longer than is necessary to leave the closed area.
(E) Safety. The City Administrator or his/her designee may close any park due to safety, disaster, water quality or park conditions.
(F) Activities permitted after closing of the parks. The following activities may continue in parks after the parks have closed:
(1) City-sponsored and city-supervised activities.
(2) Overnight camping by community associations and organizations is permitted, with a special event permit, only in the South River Park, provided all other paragraphs of this section can be met.
(3) Activities of city personnel in the course of their official duties.
(4) Activities where person are traveling upon the established paved trails or gravel or paved alleyways or roads.
(G) Special event permits. Application for the issuance of a permit to conduct activities in the park after closing hours shall be submitted to the city on the forms provided, at least two weeks prior to the date of the activities. Permits shall be issued if it appears that the applicant can comply with the city's current regulations and will not interfere with the health, safety, welfare, morals and use of the park by the general public. Special event permits shall be restricted to a 48 hour period for weekdays, Monday-Thursday, and restricted to a 72 hour period for weekends, Friday-Sunday.
(H) Parking. No person shall park any vehicle in any place in a park except in designated parking areas, with the exception of a city, emergency, or other competent governmental authority or vehicles approved by the City Administrator or Utility Superintendent or his/her designee.
(I) Destruction of property. No person shall break, cut, mutilate, mark, deface, tamper with, injure, remove or carry away any tree, plant, flower, shrub, fence, benches, tables, buildings, waste receptacles, paved material, waterline or other public utility parts, docks, monument, stake, post or other boundary marker, equipment or any other city property, either real or personal located in a park or trail.
(J) Garbage or trash. No person shall throw, discharge, or otherwise place or cause to be placed in the park, storm sewer or drain any substance, matter or thing, liquid or solid; nor shall any person bring in or dump, deposit or leave any bottles, broken glass, ashes, paper boxes, cans dirt, waste garbage, or any other trash, in any park or portion thereof. All such garbage, trash or recycling shall be placed in the proper receptacles; where proper receptacles are not provided, all such garbage, trash or recycling shall be carried away from the park by the person responsible for its presence and shall be properly disposed of elsewhere.
(Ord. 2019-2, passed 7-15-2019) Penalty, see § 130.99.