Village of East Troy, WI Chapter 362 Parks and Recreation

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of East Troy 4-3-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-2 as Title 12, Ch. 1, of the 2000 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 362-1 Park regulations.

A. Purpose and definition. In order to protect the parks, parkways, recreational facilities and conservancy areas within the Village of East Troy from injury, damage or desecration, these regulations are enacted. The term "park" as hereinafter used in this chapter shall include all grounds, structures and watercourses which are or may be located within any area dedicated to the public use as a park, parkway, recreation facility, playground, swimming pool or conservancy area in the Village.

B. Specific regulations.

(1) Littering prohibited. No person shall litter, dump or deposit any rubbish, refuse, earth or other material in any park.

(2) Sound devices. No person shall operate or play any amplifying system unless specific authority is first obtained from the Village Board.

(3) Bill posting. No person shall post, paste, fasten, paint or attach any placard, bill, notice, sign or advertising matter upon any structure, tree or other natural object in any park, except park regulations and other signs authorized by the Village Board.

(4) Throwing stones and missiles prohibited. No person shall throw stones or other missiles in or into any park.

(5) Removal of park equipment prohibited. No person shall remove benches, seats, tables or other park equipment from any park.

(6) Trapping. "Trapping" when used in this subsection includes the taking, or the attempting to take, of any wild animal by means of setting or operating any device, mechanism or contraption that is designated, built or made to close upon, hold fast or otherwise capture a wild animal or animals; live traps on a person's property are excluded. The trapping of wild animals is hereby prohibited in Village parks.

(7) Making of fires. No person shall start, tend or maintain a fire except in personal grills or designated fireplaces. Personal grills shall be used only in designated picnic areas. The use of personal grills is permitted provided that lawns and vegetation are not endangered. Unburned fuel and ashes shall be disposed of in such a manner as to prevent fire or damage to any park property.

(8) Protection of park property.

(a) No person shall kill, injure or disturb or attempt to injure or disturb waterfowl, birds or animals, wild or domestic, within any park, except as permitted by this chapter. No person shall climb any tree or remove flowers or fruit, wild or cultivated, or break, cut down, trample upon, remove or in any manner injure, deface, write upon or ill use any tree, shrub, flower, flowerbed, turf, soil, sand, fountain, ornament, building, structure, apparatus, bench, table, official notice, sign or other property within any park.

(b) No person shall deface by throwing stones, pebbles or other debris in any of the toilets, bubblers or other sanitary facilities located in any Village park or deface by drawing with crayon, chalk, paint or anything else on any of the buildings or equipment at any Village park or deface the equipment by means of a sharp instrument.

(9) Motorized vehicles. Except for authorized maintenance vehicles, no person shall operate an unlicensed or licensed motorized vehicle outside of areas specifically designated as parking areas or areas where the operation of such vehicles is specifically permitted. Motor vehicles are restricted to the roads and drives and parking areas. No motor vehicles of any nature may be used on the seeded areas except vehicles which have Village Board authorization for shows, rides or exhibits, and then only for the purpose of loading and unloading.

(10) Snowmobiles. No person shall operate a snowmobile in a Village park.

[Amended 6-15-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-02]

(11) Speed limit. No person shall operate any vehicle in a Village park in excess of 15 miles per hour unless otherwise posted.

(12) Glass beverage bottles in parks prohibited. No individual shall possess or consume any beverage in a glass bottle or glass container in any Village park.

(13) Reckless driving in parks prohibited. No person shall operate a motor vehicle in a reckless manner in any of the public parks of the Village.

(14) Parking in parks. No person shall park any motor vehicle in any park in the Village, except in the designated parking area.

(15) Horses and carriages. No person shall ride a horse or drive a horse-driven vehicle in any park, except on roads or designated bridle paths, unless approval of the Village Board is first obtained. It shall be unlawful for any person to ride a horse or drive a horse-driven vehicle in a careless, negligent or reckless manner which may endanger the safety and well-being of others. Horseback riding shall be allowed only during the daylight hours. No person shall ride a horse which cannot be held under such control that it may be easily turned or stopped. Horses shall not be left unbridled or unattended.

(16) Removing tree protectors. No person shall remove any device for the protection of trees or shrubs.

(17) Golfing and sporting activities. No golfing or practicing golf in Village parks or recreation areas shall be allowed except with the use of a whiffle ball. All sporting activities must be held in areas so designated for that purpose.

(18) Arrows. No person shall use or shoot any bow and arrow in any Village park, except in authorized areas.

(19) Fees and charges. The Village Board shall establish such fees as deemed necessary for use of any park facility, shelter or land area. It shall be unlawful to use such areas without payment of such fee or charge when required.

(20) Firearms. Possessing or discharging of any airgun, slingshot, explosive, firearm or weapon of any kind is prohibited in all Village parks.

(21) Fish cleaning. Cleaning of fish in shelters, toilet facilities or picnic areas is prohibited in all Village parks.

(22) Controlled substances. Possessing, using or dispensing of a controlled substance in violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act[1] is prohibited in all Village parks.

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 961, Wis. Stats.

(23) Vendors restricted. No person shall sell, vend or give away any article of merchandise whatsoever without a written permit from the Village Board.

(24) Alcohol beverages. The consumption or possession of alcohol beverages in Village parks shall be as regulated by Chapter 305, Article II, Alcohol Beverages in Public Areas, of this Code.

(25) Camping. No overnight camping shall be permitted in any park, except where written approval of the Village Board or duly authorized agent is first obtained.

§ 362-2 Operation of airborne toys or devices.

It shall be unlawful for any person to fly, operate or make use of any airborne remote- or radio-controlled model airplane, helicopter, vehicle or any other such device in, over or upon any street or private property, except in parks or areas specifically designated and posted for such purpose and with the consent of the property owner or lessee of the property.

§ 362-3 Turf protection on public property.

Except as authorized by the Chief of Police or Village Board, no person shall dig into the turf of any Village-owned park or recreational property for any purposes whatsoever or remove any trees or flowers. Absent authorization by the Chief of Police or Village Board, the use of metal detectors and digging for buried objects in Village parks or recreational property are prohibited.

§ 362-4 Park hours.

A. Hours established. No person, except an authorized employee and individuals engaged in special activities after obtaining the proper authorization from the appropriate department head, shall be in or upon the public parks, including any structure located thereon, between sunset and sunrise.

[Amended 6-15-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-02]

B. Exceptions.

(1) The regular closing hours of Village parks do not apply to persons having permission from the Village Board to be present in the Village parks during closed hours on specific days, for specific purposes, or for special events.

(2) The regular closing hours of the Village parks do not apply to persons in attendance at a regularly scheduled ball game at the ball diamond located in the Village, except that those persons shall vacate the park within 15 minutes after the ending of the regularly scheduled game.

§ 362-5 (Reserved) [1]

[1] Editor's Note: Former § 362-5, Reservation of park space, as amended, was repealed 12-4-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-17.

§ 362-6 Violations and penalties.

[Added 4-1-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-02; amended 6-15-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-02]

In addition to any other penalties provided by this Municipal Code of the Village of East Troy, any person cited for a violation of any Village of East Troy municipal ordinance or state statute in any parks within the Village of East Troy shall be banned from all parks for a period of 90 days for a first offense and six months for any subsequent offense. Any person violating the ban will be cited for trespassing and may be fined pursuant to § 1-4 of this Code. The person banned from the parks shall be personally served with the ban notice within 48 hours of being cited for any such violation.