This chapter shall be known as the "Parks Ordinance for the Town of
Sweden."
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 Sweden 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.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
DIRECTOR
The Director of the Department of Recreation of the Town of Sweden
or his duly authorized agents.
PARK
The grounds, buildings thereon, waters therein and any other property
necessary for the operation thereof and constituting a part thereof which
are now or hereafter will be maintained, operated and controlled by the Town
of Sweden for public park purposes.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association of
persons, and the singular number shall include the plural.
VEHICLE
Every device in, upon or by which a person or property is or may
be transported.
The hours of operation are established at the discretion of the Town Board. No person shall be permitted to remain, stop or park within the confines of any park outside the hours designated by the Town of Sweden, 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 §
137-5 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, firearm, 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 throw any animal or thing into a pond
or any of the waters of the park, except that fishing may be permitted in
season in certain park waters designated by the Town of Sweden.
(2) No person shall kill, injure or unnecessarily disturb
any 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 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 buildings,
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 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 metallic substance 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.
(3) No glass containers are allowed.
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.
(3) All alcoholic consumption shall conform with New York
State law.
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 park.
I. Swimming. No person shall bathe, wade or swim within
any park.
J. Bicycles, snow vehicles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
and motorbikes.
(1) No motorized snow vehicles shall be permitted.
(2) No unlicensed motorbikes, ATVs or other unlicensed vehicles
shall be permitted in any area of the park.
(3) Riders of bicycles shall comply with the rules for the
regulation of other vehicles.
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.
No parents, guardians or custodians of any minor shall permit or allow him or her, as the case may be, to do any act that would constitute a violation of this chapter. Nonobservance of this §
137-12 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 §
137-13 shall be a violation.