All Village-owned or operated parks shall be administered by the Village President and the Board of Trustees.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Dwight as Ch. 8, Art. VI, of the 1999 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 7-26-1993; 4-29-2014; 8-12-2019; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. IV)]
The Board of Trustees shall make such rules and regulations as are necessary for the use of the parks by the public. Such rules shall include the following:
B.
No glass-bottled beverage containers allowed.
C.
No metal detectors allowed.
D.
No bikes or vehicles allowed on ball fields at anytime.
E.
No archery or golf permitted.
F.
No digging.
G.
No smoking or vaping allowed in Garrett Park, Spencer Park and Stevenson Pool. All other Village parks will be restricted to designated areas.
The Police Department shall enforce all rules and regulations relating to the municipal parks.
The Village Administrator shall have supervision over the maintenance and use of the municipal parks and over any employees assigned by the corporate authorities to maintain such parks.
A.
Any responsible person, group or organization wishing to reserve any park pavilion in any municipal park or wishing to reserve the use of any baseball diamond at Renfrew Park shall apply for the date and hours of such reservation by applying to the Village Clerk at the Village Hall during regular hours on a first-come, first-served basis.
B.
No reservation may be made more than 364 days in advance of the date requested.
C.
Approval given to any person, group or organization of a reserved time shall be forfeited if such person, group or organization fails to occupy and use the requested facility within 1/2 hour of the beginning of the reserved time. If a reserved time is forfeited, the facility shall be available as if no reservation had been made.
D.
This section shall not be interpreted to prevent any responsible person, group or organization from using any park facility during any time when the same is not reserved as hereinbefore provided.
[Amended 8-24-2009; 7-22-2025 by Ord. No. 1550]
This section shall apply to all individuals, whether adults or minors, and shall be applicable to all Village parks, playgrounds and other municipally owned property for public use. The parks or other municipal property for which this section applies shall be posted with a sign at the principal entrance to such property or at some other prominent place on the perimeter of such property setting forth the hours that said park or other property is available for public use.
A.
Lions Lake will be open 24 hours per day, provided that between the hours of 11:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. the park may only be used by those individuals engaged in fishing on the lake.
B.
All municipally owned parks except Lions Lake or other property for general public use shall be closed from 11:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. local time.
C.
Lions Lake shall be open 24 hours per day; however, between the hours of 10:00 p. m. and 5:00 a. m., the park may only be used by individuals engaged in fishing on the lake. All other municipally owned parks and public-use properties, excluding Lions Lake, shall be closed between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time.
D.
Parents or legal guardians of any person under 18 years of age who violates this section shall be deemed responsible for the payment of any fine or fines for any violation hereunder by any person under 18 years of age for whom the adult is the parent or legal guardian thereof.
F.
All fines imposed hereunder shall be payable to the Village of Dwight and shall be paid by making payment to the Village Clerk at the Village Hall during regular business hours.
The use, possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages in all municipal parks within the Village of Dwight is hereby prohibited unless otherwise excepted hereunder. The exceptions to the prohibition of the use and possession of alcoholic beverages in municipal parks shall be as follows:
A.
The consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages shall be allowed as an exception under this subsection from 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. in Renfrew Park by persons who apply for and receive an alcoholic beverage permit from the Police Department and that meet the Illinois Statutory requirements for the purchase and possession of alcoholic beverages.
Any person who shall litter or otherwise fail to use receptacles provided in any municipal park, or if receptacles are not present or are full, any person who shall fail to properly dispose of any such litter, including but not limited to cans, bottles, paper, and other refuse, shall be guilty of the offense of park littering and each such person shall be fined as designated in the Fine Rate Schedule,[1] plus the cost of cleaning up such litter.
Any person who shall vandalize, deface, or otherwise destroy or damage municipal park property shall be guilty of the offense of park vandalism and shall pay the cost of repairing or replacing any such municipal park property destroyed or otherwise injured or defaced, including materials and labor, and shall in addition be fined as designated in the Fine Rate Schedule[1] for each such offense.
[Amended 8-27-2007; 9-24-2007; 4-29-2014; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. IV)]
No person shall be allowed to swim in the lake at any time. No boats or canoes will be allowed to be operated on the water. Any individual who shall be fishing on Lions Lake shall be in possession of a valid State of Illinois fishing license if they are so required to have a license according to the rules and regulations of the State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources. No motorized vehicles shall be allowed past the designated parking areas. Open fires outside of the provided picnic grills are not allowed. No firearms shall be allowed in the park at any time. Dogs are allowed to be walked on a leash; the person walking the dog shall be responsible for the proper and immediate disposal of any solid waste from the dog. The limits for the number of fish allowed to be removed from the lake by any one person shall be posted as follows:
Type of Fish | Length | Limit/Person |
|---|---|---|
Bass: | 15 inch minimum | 1 |
Crappie: | 9 inches minimum | 10 |
Walleye: | 14 inches to 21 inches | 6 |
Catfish: | No minimum | 3 |
Bluegill: | 5 inches and under | 10 |
Bluegill: | Over 5 inches | 5 |
Any person, firm or corporation violating any provision of this article, except as set forth otherwise above, shall be fined as designated in the Fine Rate Schedule[1] for each offense. Parents or legal guardians of any person under 18 years of age who violates any section of this article shall be deemed responsible for the payment of any fine or fines imposed hereunder, and shall be deemed responsible for the payment of the cost of any repair or replacement of any municipal park property vandalized, defaced, or otherwise destroyed.