[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Kingwood 10-20-1997 by Ord. No. 9-13-97. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any property which is located in Kingwood Township and dedicated
to or owned by the Township of Kingwood and which is dedicated, used
or held out for open space and active or passive recreation purposes
and which is open to the public either without charge or on a fee
basis. The term includes, but is not limited to, playgrounds, parks,
ball fields, nature education facilities and any paths, roadways,
sidewalks and parking areas therein or adjacent thereto.
Refers to the Township of Kingwood, County of Hunterdon,
State of New Jersey.
[Amended 4-7-2016 by Ord.
No. 18-02-2016; 11-4-2021 by Ord. No. 21-20-2021]
Except as otherwise posted, all open space and
recreation areas shall open at sunrise and shall close at sunset (as
determined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration),
but in no event shall closing be later than 9:00 p.m. No person shall
enter upon or remain within an open space or recreation area except
during its hours of operation unless authorized by the Kingwood Township
Committee or the Parks and Recreation Committee.
The following rules and regulations are hereby
established and shall apply to all open space and recreation areas
in the Township of Kingwood:
A.
No person shall damage, deface, cut, carve, transplant
or remove any tree or plant or injure the bark or pick the flowers,
fruits, berries or seeds of any tree or plant; nor shall any person
attach any rope, wire or other contrivance to any tree or plant. No
person shall dig in or otherwise disturb grass areas or in any other
way injure or impair the natural beauty or usefulness of any area.
No person shall excavate, remove, add to or alter in any way any rock,
soil, stone or sand.
B.
No person shall mark, deface, disfigure, injure, tamper
with or displace or remove any building, bridge, table, bench, fireplace,
railing, paving or paving material, water line or other public utilities
or parts or appurtenances thereof, sign, notice or placard, whether
temporary or permanent, monument, stake, post or other boundary marker,
or other structure or equipment, facilities or property or appurtenances
whatsoever.
C.
No person shall throw, discharge or otherwise place
or caused to be placed in the waters or streams any substance, matter
or thing, liquid or solid, which will or may result in the pollution
of said waters.
D.
No person shall bring in or shall dump, deposit or
leave any bottles, broken glass, ashes, paper, boxes, cans, dirt,
rubbish, waste, garbage or refuse or other trash. All such items shall
be placed in the proper receptacles where these are provided; where
receptacles are not provided, all such rubbish or waste shall be carried
away from the open space and recreation area by the person responsible
for its presence and properly disposed of elsewhere.
E.
No person shall possess, use or consume any alcoholic
beverage or controlled dangerous substance or related paraphernalia,
as such terms are defined in the New Jersey statutes: alcoholic beverages
(N.J.S.A. 33:1-1 et seq.); Controlled Dangerous Substances (N.J.S.A.
24:21-1 et seq.) or as these statutes may be amended.
F.
No person shall allow a dog, cat or other animal to
run at large, except in the designated “Leash Free” area
of Horseshoe Bend Park. Except in the designated “Leash Free”
area of Horseshoe Bend Park, all such animals shall be restrained
at all times on adequate leashes not greater than six feet in length.
All persons bringing such animals to any open space and recreation
areas shall have in their possession at all times appropriate sanitary
means, including but not limited to shovels or other implements and
containers, or disposal bags, and such person shall immediately remove
and dispose of all feces or droppings deposited by the dog or other
animal. No horseback riding shall be permitted and all horses are
prohibited, except in Horseshoe Bend Park. All horseback riding is
done with the caution that, “Horseback riding can be dangerous.
Ride at your own risk.”
[Amended 7-5-2012 by Ord.
No. 17-10-2012]
G.
No person shall bring into, carry or have in his possession,
use or discharge any firearm or weapon, as defined in N.J.S.A. 2C:39-1r,
or as may be amended, unless he/she has received a hunting permit
from Kingwood Township for a specified area and he/she is in that
area during the dates specified by the type of permit.
[Amended 12-30-2013 by Ord. No. 17-21-2013]
H.
No person shall bring into, carry or have in his possession,
use, set off or otherwise cause to explode or discharge or burn any
firecracker, torpedo, rocket or other fireworks or explosives or inflammable
material, except as previously authorized by resolution of the Township
Committee.
I.
No person shall ignite or attempt to ignite a fire
except in such areas and under such regulations as may be designated.
No such fires shall be ignited or attempted to be ignited except in
a camp stove or fireplace provided for that purpose at that time in
designated areas.
J.
No person shall engage in loud, boisterous, threatening,
abusive, insulting or indecent language or engage in any disorderly
conduct or behavior tending to cause a breach of the public peace.
K.
No person shall ride a bicycle without reasonable
regard for the safety of others, nor shall any person ride a bicycle
on any playing field.
[Amended 7-19-1999 by Ord. No. 10-11-99]
L.
No owner or driver of a motor vehicle shall cause
the vehicle to stand or park anywhere outside of designated parking
areas. Parking of motor vehicles shall only be in parking lots at
each facility specifically designated for such use. No vehicles are
to be parked or driven on any turf area or areas designated for other
specific activities, except for Township-authorized vehicles, except
that, at Horseshoe Bend Park, vehicles can be parked on the grass
as long as they are no farther than six feet from a paved surface
and do not obstruct access to any gate or trail. Unauthorized overnight
parking at all Kingwood Township-owned properties is prohibited. If
overnight parking is needed, requests can be made to the Kingwood
Township Recreation Committee or to the Kingwood Township Committee,
who may grant authorization where the need for overnight parking is
sufficiently documented.
[Amended 7-5-2012 by Ord.
No. 17-10-2012; 8-7-2014 by Ord. No. 18-11-2014; 11-4-2021 by Ord. No. 21-20-2021]
M.
No person shall operate or use within the open space
or recreational areas any all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), four-wheelers/three-wheelers,
skateboards, minibikes, dirt bikes, snowmobiles or other such type
vehicles, except for Township-authorized vehicles.
N.
No person shall enter or leave any open space or recreational
area except through established entrance and exit ways.
O.
No person shall interfere with or fail to obey any
police officer or open space and recreational area personnel in the
proper performance of their duties.
P.
Reservation of facilities and areas.
(1)
Although persons/organizations may reserve a facility, on forms available through the Township, or area within an open space or recreation area for limited specific use, such reservation and permission to use the facility shall be in the sole discretion and continuing jurisdiction of the Township and subject to the rules and regulations imposed herein and such other conditions related to public health, safety and well-being imposed by the Township. Fees paid to reserve an area shall be subject to the Township's cancellation policy found at § 34-6D.
[Amended 5-4-2017 by Ord.
No. 19-05-2017; 11-4-2021 by Ord. No. 21-20-2021]
(2)
The reserving party assumes all risk arising from
inclement weather or cancellations of any kind. If the Township does
not cancel a reservation, the reserving party shall use its best judgment
concerning cancellations due to inclement weather.
Q.
All groups using fields shall remove their personal
property, including but not limited to bases and other equipment.
The Township shall not be responsible for personal property left unattended.
R.
Any trash left by members of a group must be removed
and/or deposited in the trash receptacles at the site. Any unnecessary
debris will be charged to the responsible party. An advanced security
deposit may be required at the discretion of the Parks and Recreation
Committee or its designee.
[Amended 11-4-2021 by Ord. No. 21-20-2021]
S.
Proper use of fields and/or facilities is required.
Any damage or alteration of the same, other than from normal use,
shall be considered a violation of these rules and regulations and
shall be prosecuted as such, in addition to reimbursing the Township
for repairs of all damage and related costs. Any type of golf activity,
such as but not limited to driving golf balls, is prohibited.
T.
To reserve a recreation area, facility or field, a
certificate of insurance as proof of current liability coverage must
be provided (except for individual users who shall execute a waiver
of liability to the Township in lieu of providing a certificate),
and such certificate must include:
(1)
Liability limits of $1,000,000 for each occurrence
for personal injury and bodily injury/property damage for the term
of the reservation period.
(2)
It must indicate that athletic participation liability
coverage is included for use of the Township facilities.
(3)
Kingwood Township must be specifically named as an
additional insured.
(4)
It must indicate that the user's policies will be
primary for the additional insured.
U.
Failure to comply with these rules and regulations,
in addition to any other penalties provided herein, will deny the
person or group the right to reserve or use facilities in the future.
V.
No person making use of any open space or recreational
area shall do, perform or engage in or encourage others to do, perform
or engage in any act or activity that is prohibited by the laws of
the State of New Jersey or ordinance of the Township of Kingwood.
W.
No gangs or group of persons with any affiliation
to a gang shall be permitted to display gang colors on their person
on open space and recreation areas.
X.
[1]No person shall collect, abuse, mutilate, injure, destroy,
move or remove any plant, animal or natural resource without having
first obtained the permission of the Parks and Recreation Committee
or designee. Authorized fish, game and wildlife activities are excepted.
[Added 12-5-2013 by Ord.
No. 17-20-2013; amended 11-4-2021 by Ord. No. 21-20-2021]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection X, pertaining to the changing
of rules and regulations by resolution, added 7-19-1999 by Ord. No.
10-11-99, was repealed 7-5-2012 by Ord. No. 17-10-2012.
[Amended 7-19-1999 by Ord. No. 10-11-99; 7-5-2012 by Ord. No. 17-10-2012; 3-7-2013 by Ord. No. 17-05-2013]
The following speed limit is hereby established
for all vehicles within all open space and recreational areas of the
Township: 15 miles per hour (mph).
The State Police Department, any law enforcement
officer and/or any open space or recreational area personnel shall
have the authority to eject from the open space or recreational area
any person acting in violation of this chapter and shall have the
authority to seize or confiscate and impound any item or device prohibited
under this chapter.
[Added 6-4-2015 by Ord.
No. 18-05-2015[1]]
The following rules and regulations are hereby established and
shall apply to the area within Horseshoe Bend Park which is designated
by signage as the "Leash-free Area."
A.
Users of the Leash-free Area must abide by all rules and regulations
governing the use of Kingwood Township Parklands and must comply with
the directions of Township personnel and all posted signs.
B.
The Leash-free Area is open to the public from sunrise to sunset,
daily.
C.
The Leash-free Area is for the off-leash exercise of people and dogs
only. No other animals are permitted within the fence enclosure.
D.
Children under 13 years of age are only permitted within the fenced
enclosure under close adult supervision.
E.
No more than two dogs per person are permitted in the Leash-free
Area.
F.
Dogs showing unacceptable behavior towards people or other dogs must
be leashed immediately and removed from the area.
G.
The Township reserves the right to refuse access to any person or
animal without cause.
H.
Puppies under six months of age are prohibited.
I.
Dogs must be spayed or neutered.
J.
Dogs must wear flat-buckle collars, displaying valid license and
rabies tag.
K.
Metal prong, choke, shock and aversive training collars are not permitted.
L.
Users must properly secure access gates and leash their dogs approaching
and leaving the off-leash dog area. Users must carry a leash for each
dog at all times.
M.
Users must clean up after their dogs and carry out all waste and
other trash.
N.
Dog and human food products are prohibited within the Leash-free
Area.
O.
Users of the Leash-free Area acknowledge that there are inherent
risks to persons and pets when dogs are allowed to run off leash.
Use of the Leash-free Area is at users' own risk. The Township is
not responsible for any injuries sustained to persons, property or
dogs within the Leash-free Area.
P.
Users are responsible for any damage caused by their dogs, including,
but not limited to: digging, scratching, chewing, biting and injury
to other users, as well as illness, and including damage to the Leash-free
Area, access pathways, parking areas, vehicles, property, other dogs
and bystanders. Users agree to indemnify and hold the Township harmless
for any claims or obligations brought against it or which may be alleged
to be brought against it in relation to use of Township Leash-free
Area.
[Amended 6-4-2015 by Ord.
No. 18-05-2015; 11-4-2021 by Ord. No. 21-20-2021]
Any person or group who violates or neglects to comply with any provision of this chapter or any regulation promulgated hereunder shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to the penalty provisions in Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article II, General Penalties, of the Township Code. Each and every day that such a violation continues shall be considered a separate and specific violation of this chapter.
