[Adopted 10-18-1972 by Ord. No. 50]
[Amended 5-8-2006 by Ord.
No. 260]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
All useless matter eliminated from the bodily system, as
sputum, urine, fecal matter.
A state of any person being drunk, inebriated or under the
influence of alcoholic beverages or spirituous liquors, taken internally,
or under the influence of any narcotic or habit-producing drug.
Unless specifically limited, shall be deemed to include all
parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, stadiums, tennis courts, golf
courses, swimming pools, beaches, band shells, music pavilions, recreational
areas and structures, museums, geological and botanical gardens, and
also entrances and approaches thereto, and all other land or property
or structures now and hereafter owned or acquired by the Township
of Harris for recreation purpose or now or hereafter owned or acquired
by any other entity and declared by resolution of the Township of
Harris to be a park.
Any written authorization issued by or under the authority
of the Director of Parks and Recreation permitting specified park
privilege.
Any natural person, corporation, organization of persons,
company, association, or partnership.
Any peace officer of the Township of Harris or State of Pennsylvania
or any employee of the Department of Parks and Recreation appointed
as a special police officer for the purpose of the enforcement of
law and order within parks.
Any rules and regulations hereby or hereafter established
by the ordinance of the Township of Harris or as promulgated by the
Director of Parks and Recreation under authority herein conferred.
In the interpretation of the rules and regulations affecting
parks, their provisions shall be construed as follows:
A.
Terms in singular. Any term in the singular shall include the plural.
B.
Terms in masculine. Any term in the masculine shall include the feminine
and neuter.
C.
Extension of rules and regulations. Any requirement or provision
of these rules and regulations relating to any act shall respectively
extend to and include the causing, procuring, aiding or abetting,
directly or indirectly, of such act; or the permitting or the allowing
of any minor in the custody of any persons, doing any act prohibited
by any provisions thereof.
D.
Acts not unlawful. No provision hereof shall make unlawful any act
necessarily performed by any police officer or employee of the Department
of Parks and Recreation in line of duty or work as such, or by any
person, his agents or employees, in the proper and necessary execution
of the terms of any agreement with the Department of Parks and Recreation.
E.
Permits. Any act otherwise prohibited by these rules and regulations,
provided it is not otherwise prohibited by law or local ordinance,
shall be lawful if performed under, by virtue of and strictly in compliance
with the provisions of a permit and to the extent authorized thereby.
F.
State and federal laws. These rules and regulations are in addition
to and supplement all state and federal laws.
No person shall disturb the peace in any park by any act.
No person shall do any obscene or indecent act in any park,
or display, expose or distribute any picture, banner or other object
suggestive of sex in a lewd, indecent, immoral way; or enter a comfort
station or toilet set apart for the use of the opposite sex; nor shall
any person loiter in any comfort station or toilet at any time, nor
shall any person dress or undress in any part except dressing rooms
provided for such persons.
No person shall use threatening, abusive, insulting, profane
or obscene language or words in any parks.
No person shall solicit money, subscriptions, or contributions
for any purpose in any park unless authorized by permit from the Director
of Parks and Recreation.
No person shall enter or be in a park while intoxicated; nor
have in his possession any intoxicant. This provision shall not be
interpreted to exclude any person under normal and accepted medication.
[Amended 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 294]
No person shall perform the following actions within parks or
playgrounds without having previously obtained the written consent
and approval of the Director of the Centre Region Parks and Recreation
Department: carry or discharge an air rifle, air pistol, a paintball
gun or paintball marker; fireworks (including rockets) or other missile-propelling
instruments or explosives; a slingshot or a bow and arrow; or other
dangerous weapons, excepting firearms, which have such properties
as to cause annoyance or injury to any person or property; provided,
further, that no person shall discharge any firearm within parks or
playgrounds.
No person shall interfere with, encumber, obstruct or render
dangerous any park or part thereof.
No person shall emit, eject, or cause to be deposited in any
park, any excreta of the human body, except in proper receptacles
designated for such purposes.
No person shall gain improper admission to, or use of, or attempt
admission to any park facility, for which a charge is made, without
paying the fixed charge or price of admission.
No person shall use snowmobiles, minibikes, motorcycles, or
any vehicle recreational or otherwise except on designated roads,
trails, or areas set aside for their use.
No person, shall, in any park, disobey a proper order of a police
officer or any park and recreation employee designated by the Director
of Parks and Recreation to give orders. Nor shall any person in any
park disobey, disregard or fail to comply with any rule or regulation,
warning, prohibition, instruction or direction, posted or displayed
by sign, notice, bulletin, card, poster, or when notified or informed
as to its existence by a park employee or other authorized person.
No person shall capture or kill, or attempt to capture or kill
any wild bird or wild animal on park premises.
Day or overnight camping of any type is prohibited except as
authorized by the Director of Parks and Recreation.
No person shall cut, break, injure, deface, or disturb any tree,
shrub, plant, rock, building, cage, pen, monument, fence, bench, or
other structures, apparatus or property or pluck, pull up, cut, take
or remove any shrub, bush, plant or flower; or mark, or write upon
any building, monument, fence, bench or other structures, or injure,
deface or remove any property, real or personal or any natural growth,
structure, equipment, animals, signs, or other park property.
No fires shall be set in any park except in areas where fires
are expressly permitted; or except as authorized by permit issued
under the authority of the Director of Parks and Recreation.
No person shall throw, cast, lay, drop or discharge into or
leave any body of water in any park, or in any storm sewer, or drain
flowing into said water, or in any gutter, sewer or basin, any substance,
matter, or thing, whatsoever.
No person shall cause or permit any animal, livestock or poultry
to come upon or go at large in any park; except that dogs or other
domesticated animals may be brought into parks so long as the person
bringing such animals into a park shall at all times keep such animals
under control and restrained by a leash or lead not exceeding six
feet in length. No animal, including dogs and domesticated animals,
shall be permitted in the immediate vicinity of bathhouses, wading
or swimming pools, children's play areas or any other areas that may
be designated by sign as prohibited areas.
No person shall bring a horse in or upon park land except in
areas designated for such purposes.
No person shall deposit, drop or leave any papers, bottles,
debris, or other waste matter or refuse of any kind in any park or
part thereof except in such receptacles as may be provided for the
purpose.
No person shall operate any motor vehicle on any roadway in
any park at any rate of speed greater than is reasonable having regard
to the width of the roadway, traffic, and use of such roadway, intersection
with other roadways, weather and other conditions; and in no event
shall any vehicle be operated on such highway at a speed in excess
of 15 mph.
No person shall in any park make repairs to any vehicle except
those of a minor nature, and then only in cases of emergency.
No person shall operate any vehicle in any part of a park except
on roadways established for the operation of vehicles, nor shall any
person park any vehicle in any area except those specifically designated
for parking purposes.
A permit to do any act shall authorize the same only insofar
as it may be performed in strict accordance with the written terms
and conditions thereof. Any violation of any law, ordinance, or rule
or regulation by the holder or agents of the holder of any permit
shall constitute grounds for revocation, which action shall be final.
In case of revocation, all moneys paid therefore shall, at the option
of the Department of Parks and Recreation, be forfeited and shall
leave the violator liable for all damages or loss suffered in excess
of such forfeited or retained money, and such moneys retained or damages
paid, or both, shall not relieve such person from liability to punishment
for violation of any law, ordinance, rule or regulation.
No person shall conduct, operate, present or manage in any park,
a parade, drill, maneuver, public meeting, ceremony, speech, address,
public contest, exhibit, dramatic performance, spectacle, play, motion
picture, fair, circus, or show of any kind or nature, band, choir,
glee club, orchestra, without a permit.
All organized group picnics or outings shall be authorized by
permits obtained previous to entering any park.
[Amended 10-14-2019 by Ord. No. 340]
All organized teams, leagues, agencies, schools, churches and
other groups must obtain a permit for these facilities before announcing
schedules.
No person shall in any park exhibit, sell, or offer for sale,
hire, lease or let out any object, service or merchandise or anything
whatsoever, whether corporal or incorporal except under a permit.
No person shall advertise in any park in any manner whatsoever
for any reason whatsoever, except by permit.
Games, sports and competition shall be held and carried on only
in those places and during the times specifically designated therefore.
This shall not be construed to prevent or prohibit multi-sport and
activity use of designated areas where such use may be properly confined
to such areas and carried out without harm to the designated area;
provided, however, that properly scheduled sports, games and activities
shall at all times have priority of use of such designated areas at
the scheduled times.
[Added 6-13-2011 by Ord.
No. 294; amended 10-14-2019 by Ord. No. 340]
Unmanned aircraft includes radio-controlled, string-controlled,
remote-controlled, and tethered model aircraft, and drones. Unmanned
aircraft shall not be placed in flight or landed in any pocket, neighborhood,
or community park. Unmanned aircraft may be placed in flight or landed
with a permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation in the Regional
Parks (Oak Hall Regional Park, Hess Softball Complex, and Whitehall
Road Regional Park) when not interfering with other permitted and
scheduled events or activities. All unmanned aircraft operators must
follow all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) protocols to include
safe operations, licensing, inspections, training, flight patterns,
distances, heights, etc. Exceptions will be made for other parks for
commercial uses only (i.e., commercial filming) with a permit request
to the Director of Parks and Recreation.
[Amended 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 294]
In order to provide for equitable use of park facilities, preserve
park areas and facilities, and to protect the safety of users of the
parks and their facilities, the Director of Parks and Recreation shall
have the following authority, the enumeration of which shall not restrict
the general authority and control of the Director over the parks.
[Amended 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 294]
A.
To fix time. To fix times when the parks or parts thereof shall be
open to public use.
B.
To restrict use. To designate parks and parts thereof as restricted
to the use of certain positions of the public at certain times as
he sees fit.
C.
To issue permits. Under uniform conditions to be prescribed by him,
to issue permits for regulated uses as hereinbefore enumerated.
D.
To fix charges. The Centre Region Parks and Recreation Authority
sets its fees and policies each year for the use of park areas or
facilities or privileges, to be utilized by the Parks and Recreation
Director for all permitting purposes.
[Amended 10-14-2019 by Ord. No. 340]
E.
To collect fees. To collect such fees and deposits for the use of
park areas or facilities or privileges as the Director deems advisable
to help defray the expenses of the parks and their facilities.
[Amended 10-14-2019 by Ord. No. 340]
F.
Appeals.
Persons aggrieved by a decision of the Director denying the use of
a facility may appeal such decision to the Township Manager, whose
decision shall be final.
[Added 10-14-2019 by Ord. No. 340]
[Amended 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 294]
A.
Police officers of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or park employees
appointed as special park police shall have the authority to enforce
these rules and regulations for parks.
B.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of
this article, upon conviction thereof in an action brought before
a Magisterial District Judge in the manner provided for the enforcement
of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure,
shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs
and, in default of payment of said fines and costs, to a term of imprisonment
not to exceed 90 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues
or each section of this article which shall be found to have been
violated shall constitute a separate offense.[1]
