This chapter shall be known as the "Parks Ordinance
for the Town of Webster."
The purpose of this chapter shall be to preserve
the public peace and good order on lands operated as public parks
by the Town of Webster and to contribute to the safety and enjoyment
of the users of such parkland by regulating the hours of use and the
use of motorized vehicles and by prohibiting certain activities inimical
to customary park recreation use.
For the purpose of this chapter, terms used
herein are defined as follows:
DIRECTOR
The Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation of
the Town of Webster or his duly authorized agents.
PARKS
The grounds, buildings thereon, waters therein and any other
property necessary for the operation thereof and constituting a part
thereof which is now or hereafter will be maintained, operated and
controlled by the Town of Webster for public park purposes.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association
of persons, and the singular number shall include the plural.
SWIMMING AREA
Pools or beaches within a park and pools not within a park
when being operated or used for the public by the Department of Parks
and Recreation of the Town of Webster.
VEHICLE
Every device in, upon or by which a person or property is
or may be transported.
No person shall be permitted to remain, stop or park within the confines of any park between the hours designated by the Town of Webster, except in an emergency or with special permit from the Director. In case of an emergency or when, in the judgment of the Director, the public interest demands it, any portion of a park may be closed to the public or to designated persons until permission is given to reopen. Nonobservance of this §
230-5 shall constitute a violation.
Nonobservance of the following park regulations
shall constitute a violation:
A. Disorderly conduct.
(1) No person
shall disturb the peace and good order in any park by fighting, quarreling
or wrangling with loud voices or shouts, threatening by violence to
the person or property of others or engaging in riotous clamor or
tumult.
(2) No person
shall congregate with others in a public place and refuse to comply
with a lawful order of the police or the Director to disperse or leave
the park.
(3) No person
shall beg, hawk or peddle or solicit within any park.
(4) No person
shall play or bet at or against any game which is played, conducted,
dealt or carried on with cards, dice or other devices for money, chips,
credit or any other representative of value; nor shall any person
be allowed to maintain or exhibit any gaming table or other instrument
of gambling or gaming.
(5) No person,
except peace officers of the county or other law enforcement officers,
shall have or carry any pistol, switchblade, hunting knife, slingshot,
bow and arrow, dagger, metal knuckles or other dangerous weapons concealed
or about his person while in the park.
(6) No person
shall use obscene, profane or abusive language while in the park.
(7) No person
shall loiter in or near toilet buildings or parking areas.
B. Games regulated.
No person shall engage in potentially dangerous games involving thrown
or propelled objects, such as footballs, horseshoes, roller skates,
golf balls or similar objects, except in areas designated for such
usage and then only subject to such rules as may be prescribed by
the Director. All games of any description must be conducted in a
safe and orderly manner, and no rough or boisterous practices will
be allowed. No one shall play games for which a permit or fee is required
without first obtaining such permit and paying such fee.
C. Hunting, fishing
and molesting wildlife.
(1) No person
shall take or attempt to take any fish from or send or throw any animal
or thing into a pond or any of the waters of the parks, except with
the permission of the Director, and except that fishing may be permitted
in season in certain park waters designated by the Director.
(2) No person
shall kill, injure or unnecessarily disturb any fish, waterfowl, birds
or animals.
(3) No person
within the confines of a park shall hunt, pursue with dogs, trap or
in any other way molest any wild bird or animal found within the confines
of a park or rob or molest any bird nest or take eggs of any bird.
(4) There shall
be no fishing without a permit.
(5) There shall
be no hunting or carrying firearms, dangerous weapons, etc.
D. Preservation
of property and natural features. No person shall injure, deface,
disturb or befoul any part of a park or any building, signs, equipment
or other property found therein; nor shall any tree, flower, shrub,
rock or other mineral be removed, injured or destroyed.
E. Littering, rubbish,
garbage, sewage and noxious material.
(1) No person
shall, without the specific written consent of the Director, bring
into, leave behind or dump any material of any kind, in the park,
except the refuse, ashes, garbage and other material of a picnic,
camp or other permitted activity, and such material shall be deposited
in receptacles or pits provided for such purposes. Refuse is not to
be dropped, thrown or scattered on park property. Tin cans, bottles
or other glassware or metallic substances containing sharp edges shall
be deposited in park receptacles.
(2) No person
shall, either within or outside of a park, discharge into, throw,
cast, lay, drop or leave in any river, brook, stream, storm sewer
or drain flowing into or through a park any substance, matter or thing,
either liquid or solid, which may or shall result in the pollution
of said river, brook or stream within a park or interfere with the
conservation of the natural resources of a park or endanger the health
of visitors in a park.
F. Alcoholic beverages.
The consumption of alcoholic liquors or beverages, including beer,
and the bringing of such items into the parks are permitted under
the following conditions:
(1) No person
shall become intoxicated. No person shall bring into or drink any
alcoholic liquors or beverages, including beer, in any park, except
in such areas as designated by the Director. Beer may be brought into
the parks for consumption at private family or social picnic parties
but may not be dispensed or displayed at temporary bars or from kegs
or other bulk dispensing units unless permission is obtained from
the Director.
(2) Drinking
alcoholic liquors or beverages, including beer, is prohibited in the
parking lots and rights-of-way within any park.
G. Dogs, cats and
other household pets. No person shall bring into, permit, have or
keep in the park any dog, cat, household pet or other animal destructive
to birds and other wildlife, except that dogs or cats are permitted
if held in control by a leash.
H. Horseback riding.
Horseback riding is permitted only on designated roadways or bridle
paths and only on the condition that they are ridden with care and
under such control that they can be easily or quickly turned or stopped.
No person shall ride horseback in any park after dark or before daybreak.
No person shall smoke while mounted on horseback on bridle paths within
a park.
I. Swimming, swimming
areas and beaches.
(1) No person
shall bathe, wade or swim within any park or swimming area, except
at such pools or beaches therein as may be designated for that purpose
by the Director, and no person shall bathe, wade or swim without having
the body concealed by suitable covering.
(2) Person shall
be permitted to change clothing on park property only in facilities
set aside for that purpose.
(3) No swimming
shall be permitted unless a lifeguard is on duty.
(4) No glass
containers or cans shall be permitted in the swimming and/or beach
areas.
(5) No person
shall carry onto, possess, scatter or throw on any bathing beach or
swimming area bottles or containers of any kind or broken glass.
(6) The use of
life rafts, inner tubes and other objects intended to support persons
is prohibited in any of the designated swimming areas, except as otherwise
permitted by the Director.
(7) Boats, surfboards,
water skis and similar aquatic equipment is prohibited within the
designated swimming areas.
(8) No diapered
infants shall be permitted to wade or bathe in park water or swimming
areas.
(9) Cats and
dogs are prohibited in all swimming areas and beaches.
J. Bicycles, snow
vehicles and motorbikes.
(1) No person
shall ride a bicycle upon the lawn, walks, foot trails or bridle trails
or any parks or parkways, unless otherwise posted.
(2) No motorized
snow vehicles shall be permitted upon the lawn, walks, foot trails,
bridle trails, roads or parking areas of any parks or parkways, unless
otherwise posted.
(3) No unlicensed
motorbikes or other unlicensed vehicles shall be permitted in any
area of a park.
(4) Riders of
bicycles and snow vehicles shall comply with the rules for the regulation
of other vehicles and, in addition thereto, shall be subject to the
following rules and regulations:
(a) Riders
shall proceed in the extreme right-hand lane of the drive at all times,
in single file only.
(b) Riding
crosswise and curving to and fro are strictly prohibited.
(c) No rider
shall take both hands off the handles or steering mechanism or ride
recklessly in any manner.
(d) A bicycle
shall not be towed by a rope or otherwise, nor shall any rider hold
onto any moving vehicle for the purpose of being drawn along.
(e) No bicycle
shall be pushed upon any park or parkway drive where an adjoining
footwalk is available.
(f) Children
under the age of 12 riding small bicycles (wheel less than 20 inches
in diameter) may use the footwalks.
(g) Wherever
possible, bicycles or snow vehicles shall be parked in places provided
for such purpose.
(h) Where
motorized snow vehicles are permitted, traversing congested areas
must be done in low throttle (five miles per hour or less).
K. Indecent conduct
and exposure. No person shall appear in a park in a state of nudity
or commit, perform or engage in any lewd, lascivious, obscene or indecent
act or behavior, and no person shall make any indecent exposure of
his or her person.
L. In Town parks,
launching or retrieving of the following is prohibited: personal watercraft,
jet skis, or any other trailer-launched craft. In no event shall watercraft
with motors in excess of 15 horsepower be launched or retrieved from
Town park sites. Such prohibition shall extend to snowmobiles and
other motorized vehicles entering onto the ice from Town parks.
[Added 5-15-2003 by L.L. No. 3-2003]
No parents, guardians or custodians of any minor shall permit or allow him or her, as the case may be, to do any act which would constitute a violation of this chapter. Nonobservance of this §
230-12 shall be a violation.
No person shall fail or refuse to comply with any reasonable order relating to the regulation, direction or control of traffic or with any other order lawfully given by any police officer or Town official in the execution of his office or willfully resist, obstruct or abuse any police officer or Town official in the execution of his office or duties. Nonobservance of this §
230-13 shall be a violation.