The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations
for the use of the park(s) and recreation area(s) within the Township
of Egg Harbor.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall
have the meanings indicated:
PARK(S)/RECREATION AREA(S)
Includes but is not limited to a park, playground, recreation
center or any other public area owned or used by the Township or local
authorized government agencies and devoted to active or passive recreation.
RECREATION COMMISSION
The Recreation Commission is responsible for guiding the
administrative policy of Egg Harbor Township park(s) and recreation
area(s) as well as steering future development of facilities to serve
the residents of Egg Harbor Township.
The following hours of use have been established:
A. Delilah Oaks Parks: sunrise to sunset; except for the pickleball
court 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.
[Amended 5-20-2020 by Ord. No. 4-2020]
B. M. K. Betterment Playground: sunrise to sunset.
C. Oakland Tremont Park: sunrise to sunset.
D. Childs-Kirk Memorial Park: sunrise to sunset; except for the softball
fields until 11:00 p.m.
E. Veterans Memorial Park: sunrise to sunset; except for lighted fields
until 11:00 p.m.
F. Tony Canale Park: sunrise to sunset; except for the soccer fields
until 11:00 p.m.
G. Arboretum: sunrise to sunset.
H. Bargaintown Park: sunrise to sunset; except for the baseball field
until 11:00 p.m.
I. Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve: sunrise to sunset.
J. Community Center grounds: sunrise to sunset.
K. Shires Park: sunrise to sunset.
L. Shires Tot Lot: sunrise to sunset.
The provisions of this chapter shall not be applicable when:
A. A function is being held or is being sponsored by the Township of
a religious, school, civic or properly supervised event or program.
B. A supervised social meeting, gathering or assemblage for which a
property permit has been issued.
The following rules and regulations are hereby established,
and it shall be unlawful to violate any of the said rules and regulations:
A. No person shall act in a loud, indecent, obscene or offensive manner.
B. No person shall revel, disport or behave in a noisy and boisterous
manner, emitting loud cries and other noises, so as to inconvenience
others, or otherwise disrupt and disturb the public peace and dignity
within the park(s) and recreation area(s) defined or such adjacent
areas. Use of profane, loud, threatening, insulting, indecent and
abusive language is prohibited.
C. No person shall drive and/or operate minibikes, motor scooters, motorbikes,
gocarts, swamp buggies and snowmobiles and any other similar type
of motor-driven vehicle within the park(s) and recreation area(s).
D. The starting or maintenance of an open fire or fires in the park(s)
and recreation area(s) at any time during the entire year is prohibited.
E. No person shall hunt, molest, harm, frighten, kill, trap, pursue,
chase, tease, shoot or throw missiles at any animal, wildlife, reptile
or bird; nor shall he remove or have in his possession the young of
any wild animal or the eggs or nest or young of any reptile or bird.
Exception to the foregoing is made in that snakes known to be deadly
or poisonous, or deadly reptiles, may be killed on sight.
F. Pets brought into permitted park(s) and recreation area(s) shall
be confined or under direct control and on a leash. All pet owners
must abide by Township regulations and are responsible for cleaning
up after their pet(s). No pets are allowed on fields, athletic fields,
Tony Canale Park amphitheater lawn, playgrounds or courts at any time.
Service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act and New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, are permitted in all park(s) and recreation area(s).
[Amended 10-5-2022 by Ord. No. 43-2022]
G. No person shall carry or possess firearms of any description, or
air rifles, spring guns, bow and arrows, slings or any other forms
of weapons potentially inimical to wildlife and dangerous to human
safety, or any instrument that can be loaded with and fire blank cartridges,
or any kind of trapping device. Shooting into park(s) and recreation
area(s) from beyond park boundaries is forbidden.
H. The Recreation Commission shall be authorized to establish any other
rules and regulation governing parks which it deems appropriate.
I. No person shall engage in smoking of any kind or use tobacco products while in any park(s) and recreation area(s) listed in §
165-3, Smoking, is defined as the act of lighting by fire by any means, and/or the act of inhaling, exhaling, burning, or the carrying of any lit smoke product, including, but not limited to, a cigarette, cigar, pipe, electronic smoking device, tobacco, weed, plant or other vegetation or similar material. "Tobacco products" encompasses all smokeless tobacco, including, but not limited to, chewing tobacco, loose-leaf tobacco, tobacco pellets, plug tobacco, twist or rope tobacco, dipping tobacco and dissolvable tobacco.
J. The Director of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with the Recreation
Commission, reviews and approves all park(s) and recreation area(s)
use requests for the Township. The Department of Parks and Recreation
then works with its sponsored youth organizations and permitted groups
to schedule the use of all fields and facilities located in Township
park(s) and recreation area(s).
K. Field closure for maintenance to preserve the quality of Egg Harbor
Township park(s) and recreation area(s) to allow for appropriate rest
and repair of turf areas will be identified by the Director of Parks
and Recreation and their designated staff members. Mandatory field
closure periods will be identified by park(s) and/or recreation area(s).
The closed park(s) and/or recreation area(s) will be identified by
posted signs and/or fencing and the organization's contact person
will be notified. Consequences for not adhering to the field closure
periods will result in the following:
(1) First offense: written warning to the organization representative.
Security deposit will be forfeited and retained by the Township of
Egg Harbor.
(2) Second offense: a monetary penalty of $500 will be imposed and must
be paid to the Department of Parks and Recreation. Use of facilities
will be suspended until such time as the penalty is paid in full and
any or all future permitted use will be canceled.
(3) Third offense: hearing before the Egg Harbor Township Recreation
Commission with a potential loss of the field use permit for the organization.
L. Athletic fields may be closed due to inclement weather or saturated conditions. If a field is to be determined closed or deemed unplayable by Egg Harbor Township authorized staff on weekdays, notice will be sent to the appropriate league/organization contact person via email by 2:00 p.m. that day. At later weekday times and weekends, each organization is required to cancel its permitted activity if injury may result to participants or if damage to the playing surface or facility may occur. Users must notify the Director of Parks and Recreation, or designated staff member, if the organization closed the field so other users questioning whether to close their fields can be so advised. If there is any doubt, the field should be closed and all activities canceled. Consequences for not adhering to the above closure requirements will result in the consequences for offenses stated above in Subsection
K. Field use is prohibited in the following circumstances:
(1) It is closed for renovation or repair;
(2) Water is standing on the field;
(4) The soil is wet and "spongy";
(5) Grass can be dislodged from the field easily;
(7) A lightning/electrical storm is occurring; and
(8) The field is deemed unplayable by Public Works and/or staff from
the Department of Parks and Recreation.
M. All managers, coaches, or persons in charge of a group using the
park(s) and recreation area(s) will be responsible for the conduct
of all participants, spectators and others connected with the activity,
including visiting teams and opponents. Group users must inform their
participants of the conduct rules. Users must clean up after themselves
(i.e., trash, recycling, etc.) and managers, coaches, or persons in
charge of a group must inspect the park(s) and recreation area(s)
before leaving. All trash must be placed in proper receptacles. Users
are expected to leave the park(s) and recreation area(s) in the same
or better condition in which it was found.
N. Warm-ups for the next scheduled event must be performed so as not
to interfere with existing event and so as not to endanger the welfare
of all participants, spectators and facilities.
O. Use or possession of alcoholic beverages or controlled substances
of any kind are prohibited.
P. No field user may put down lines, significantly or permanently alter,
or make any changes to a park and/or recreation area.
Q. The Township may remove any article or property found in a park(s)
and recreation area(s) after hours of operation at the owner's expense.
R. No person or organization shall post by any means or erect or cause
to be erected any sign, placard, advertisement, or inscription, in
any Township park(s) and recreation area(s), without authorization
from the Department of Parks and Recreation.
S. Vehicles may only be parked in any park and/or recreation area during the hours established in §
165-3 when the park and/or recreation area is open for public use.
[Added 4-18-2018 by Ord.
No. 13-2018]
T. A limited number of passenger cars (not to exceed five in total)
may be issued a permit to park during hours when the park and/or recreation
area is closed for public use.
[Added 10-3-2018 by Ord.
No. 44-2018]
(1) Application for parking permit. Application for a parking permit
shall be made, in writing, to the Chief of Police or his designee
upon such forms as shall be prepared by the office of the Chief of
Police.
(2) Conditions for granting of permit. Parking permits shall be granted
to the following person or persons under terms and conditions as hereinafter
set forth: to persons who are property owners on any street abutting
a park and/or recreation area, where parking is prohibited in front
of their property.
(3) Cost of permit. A permit will be issued on a calendar year basis
for a fee of $20.
(4) Surrender of permit. An applicant for a parking permit shall show
to the Chief of Police or his designee satisfactory evidence that
such person fulfills all the conditions required for the issuance
of a permit. Whenever the conditions no longer exist, any person holding
such permit shall surrender the same to the Chief of Police or his
designee.
(5) Permit renewal. No permit issued hereunder shall be valid for more
than one year, but may be renewed upon expiration, provided that the
conditions for the issuance thereof still exist.
(6) Violations and penalties. Are in accordance with the provisions of §
165-10 of this chapter.
[Amended 10-2-2019 by Ord. No. 28-2019; 3-15-2023 by Ord. No. 8-2023]
Egg Harbor Township park(s) and recreation area(s) permit fees
by category (Note: All field/court fees are per individual field and
per individual court.):
A. Categories
I, II, and III are permitted for use at no charge.
B. Category
IV:
(1) Field/court
use: $40 for up to three hours of field/facility use.
(2) Field/court
use with lights: $60 for up to three hours of field/facility use.
C. Category
V:
(1) Field/court
use: $90 for up to three hours of field/facility use.
(2) Field/court
use with lights: $180 for up to three hours of field/facility use.
D. Category
VI:
(1) Field/court:
$300 for up to three hours of field/facility use.
(2) Field/court
with lights: $450 for up to three hours of field/facility use.
E. Robert J. Lincoln Amphitheater: Categories I, II and III are permitted to use at no charge. Categories IV, V, and VI will be charged in accordance to the fees set forth above in §
165-7B,
C, and
D.
Violation of any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction
thereof, be punished by a minimum fine of $100 or a maximum of $2,000
or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days or by a period
of community service not exceeding 90 days. Each and every violation
shall be considered a separate violation. Any person who is convicted
of violating the provisions of this chapter within one year of the
date of a previous violation and who was fined for the previous violation
may be sentenced by the Court to an additional fine as a repeat offender.
The additional fine imposed as a repeat offender shall not be less
than the minimum or exceed the maximum fine provided herein, and same
shall be calculated separately from the fine imposed for the violation
of this chapter.