City of Richland Hills, TX Parks and Recreation Areas

(a)

It shall be unlawful for any person to enter any portion of a park or recreation area which is designated as restricted, or to enter or remain in any area during the hours of the day when such area is not open to the public where there is notice thereof by signs posted or by oral or written communication by a city employee.

(b)

Any municipal park, section or part thereof, may be declared closed to the public by the city manager, or designee, or a law enforcement officer at any time and for any interval of time on a temporary basis (daily or otherwise), either entirely or merely to certain uses, as the city manager, or designee or law enforcement officer shall find reasonably necessary.

(c)

Special permission may be granted by the city manager or designee, for organized sports or special events which may last past the hour of closing, in which case any park containing the permitted activities shall remain open until the activity shall cease, at which time the park shall be closed. No person other than law enforcement personnel or park employees shall enter or remain in a park at a time when it is closed.

(d)

The city manager or his designee may permit groups to reserve for their exclusive use municipal park pavilions during the hours of the day when the park is open to the public, subject to availability. The city manager may designate peak dates and times, including, but not limited to, holidays and holiday weekends, when such pavilions will not be available for such exclusive use, based upon the city manager's or the city manager's designee's determination as to whether such exclusive use will unreasonably interfere with expected demand for use of such pavilion by the general public, or with planned city functions.

(e)

The city manager or his designee may establish and promulgate procedures for reserving such pavilions, scheduling functions and resolving conflicts among scheduled functions, and such procedures shall be set forth in the City of Richland Hills facility rental policy, as such policy now exists or as such policy may be revised from time to time. A copy of the current Richland Hills facility rental policy is available at the community center office, located at 3204 Diana Drive, Richland Hills, Texas, or at the city secretary's office.

(f)

The fee to reserve a municipal park pavilion shall be $25.00 per each four-hour period for residents, and $35.00 per four-hour period for nonresidents, which fees shall be included in appendix A to this Code.

(g)

Any person or group reserving the pavilion shall be responsible for cleaning the pavilion following use, and for any damages caused by the person, group or their invitees, and shall be required to provide the city with a security deposit of $100.00, payable at the time the reservation is made to secure any costs incurred by the city to clean the pavilion or repair damaged items.

(h)

No person in any city park shall engage in any activity which will unreasonably interfere with or detract from the public health, safety, welfare, use or enjoyment of such parks. Conduct that unreasonably disturbs any citizen or members of the public in the park, or that hinders such persons from using the parks is prohibited. No person may physically, verbally, or with gestures, threaten, disrupt, abuse, assault or otherwise intimidate another person in a park.

(i)

Illegal drugs, firearms, illegal knifes, clubs, and any prohibited weapons listed in V.T.C.A., Penal Code ch. 46 are strictly forbidden anywhere in city parks and other city recreational facilities. However, this section does not prohibit a person licensed to carry a handgun under V.T.C.A., Government Code ch. 411, subch. H, from carrying a handgun in city parks and other city recreational facilities, unless entry on the premises of the city recreational facility with a handgun is prohibited under V.T.C.A., Penal Code §§ 46.03 or 46.035.

(j)

To insure that all citizens and members of the public may have a reasonable opportunity to enjoy the use of the parks, all persons must comply with the terms of these regulations at all times. These regulations may be enforced by the city police department whenever necessary.

(k)

Any violation of any of these regulations, or of state law or city ordinance in the parks may result in disciplinary action being taken against the person violating such regulation, law or ordinance, including, but will not be limited to any of the following: (1) a warning; (2) expulsion from the property by order of a member of the police department; (3) having the privilege to use or be in the city parks suspended or permanently revoked, and being temporarily or permanently banned from the city parks and other recreational facilities, at the reasonable discretion of the chief of police or the chief of police's designee; and (4) for violation of any criminal law or ordinance, arrest or the issuance of a criminal citation, as may be determined appropriate by the city police department.

(l)

Any person whose privilege to use or be in the city parks is suspended or permanently revoked, and who has been temporarily or permanently banned from the city parks, may appeal such suspension or permanent ban to the city manager by submitting a notice of appeal in writing to the city secretary within ten days of such suspension or permanent ban. The decision of the city manager shall be final.

[Code 1984, ch. 7, § 17; Ord. No. 925-02, § 1, 2-26-2002; Ord. No. 1086-07, § 1, 6-12-2007; Ord. No. 1309-16, § 1, 2-16-2016]