[Amended 1-14-1985 by Ord. No. 85-07]
This article shall be construed as applying
and being in force in all the parks of the City and all the streets
in and through said parks and all parkways and bicycle paths of the
City.
All persons are forbidden to cut, break or in
any way injure or deface the trees, shrubs, plants, turf or any of
the buildings, fences, bridges or other construction or property within
or upon the parks.
[Amended 1-14-1985 by Ord. No. 85-07]
A.
Motorized vehicles and bicycles shall be restricted
to specifically designated areas and subject to all applicable vehicle,
traffic and penal laws, statutes and ordinances.
B.
Snowmobiles are prohibited in all of the areas set
forth in this article.
C.
Bicycle riding within the parks will only be allowed
on the driveways, and the riders shall not go more than two abreast
and shall keep to the right side of the roadway; nor shall they ride
at a speed in excess of 15 miles an hour.
D.
No person shall drive a motorized vehicle within the
limits of Central Park at a speed in excess of 15 miles per hour except
upon Fehr Avenue and upon Golf Road where the speed limit shall be
30 miles per hour.
[Added 5-4-1987 by Ord. No. 87-41]
No person shall expose any article or thing
for sale upon the parks unless such person shall have been previously
licensed by the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, nor shall
any hawking or peddling be allowed thereon.
No bus, with or without passengers, shall be
allowed to enter any part of the parks except by special permission
of the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation.
[Amended 7-29-1985 by Ord. No. 85-71]
A.
No drunken, noisy, disorderly or publicly offensive
person shall be allowed to remain in the parks, and no intoxicating
or spirituous liquors shall be allowed in the parks except by special
permit or lease of the Central Park Casino and in no event other than
between the hours of 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., except as may be permitted
or allowed in the hours of operation of the Casino by its lease.
[Amended 5-6-1996 by Ord. No. 96-26]
B.
Special permits allowing alcoholic beverages in the
parks may be issued at the discretion of the Mayor and only to charitable
and not-for-profit organizations as specified by Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code and pursuant to the applicable rules
and regulations of the New York State Liquor Authority and upon evidence
of adequate insurance and such other conditions as may be required
as to protect the health, welfare and safety of the public.
C.
An applicant shall be entitled to only one such permit
in any calendar year.
All persons are forbidden to throw watermelon rinds, banana skins or peanut shells into the parks except in connection with picnics held in accordance with § 186-18 hereof. No tables shall be allowed in the parks, and benches shall not be moved without permission.
No threatening, abusive, insulting or indecent
language shall be allowed therein whereby a breach of the peace may
be occasioned, nor shall any loitering or dancing be allowed.
[Amended 8-12-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-10]
[Amended 8-6-1990 by Ord. No. 90-61; 5-6-1996 by Ord. No. 96-26; 4-25-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-08]
Parks shall be opened daily to the public from
dawn until dusk, except Central Park, which shall be open daily from
dawn until 10:00 p.m., and except the Central Park Casino, which may
remain open until 11:00 p.m. on weekdays and 12:00 midnight on weekends,
and except Vale Park, which shall be open from 9:00 a.m. until dusk,
unless prior authorization has been granted by the City of Schenectady.
No person other than those employed in the parks shall enter or remain
in them except when open, as above specified, or except when traveling
to or from the Casino in Central Park during its hours of operation
as defined in its operating lease, without the consent of the Parks
Superintendent. For the purpose of this section, "dusk" shall be defined
as the end of civil twilight, according to the United States Naval
Observatory Astronomical Application Department.
No person shall discharge any firearms or set
off any fireworks or thing under any name composed of similar materials
in any of the parks of the City without a special permit.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The provisions of former Sec.
19-40, which immediately followed this section, relating to wheelchairs
and perambulators, as well as former Sec. 19-53, relating to the use
of Central Park, were repealed 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 3-1986.
[Amended 6-27-1988 by Ord. No. 88-51]
No person shall distribute, post or otherwise
affix any bills, notices or other paper upon any structure or thing
within the parks nor upon any of the gates or enclosures thereof.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon application, the City Council
may permit such displays when it is determined that it is in the best
interest of the City.
[Amended 6-27-1988 by Ord. No. 88-51]
For the protection of the appearance and usefulness
of the parks of the City and to prevent the use of City parks for
advertising or other private purposes, it shall hereafter be unlawful
for any individual or group of individuals to erect or maintain any
sign or other device for the purpose of calling public attention or
advertising any entertainment, attraction or other event or to use
any part of the park system or appurtenances for such advertisement
or announcement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon application,
the City Council may permit such displays when it is determined that
it is in the best interest of the City.
No company shall be permitted to parade, drill
or perform therein any military or other evolutions or movements except
by special permission.
No public meetings nor public discussions of
any subject, religious, social, political or other of any kind, shall
be held within the limits of the park except by special permission.
[Amended 6-2-1986 by L.L No. 3-1986; 4-26-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-08; 6-28-2010 by Ord. No.
2010-12; 8-27-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-10; 4-10-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-07]
A.
No person
other than City employees shall light, make or use any fire in any
park except for cooking food in containers suitable for outdoor cooking.
B.
Smoking
shall not be permitted and no person shall smoke within the City's
parks. For purposes of this section, "smoking" is defined pursuant
to § 1399-n of the New York State Public Health Law.
C.
Vaping
shall not be permitted and no person shall vape within the City's
parks. For purposes of this section, "to vape" is defined pursuant
to § 1399-n of the New York State Public Health Law.
D.
Violation
of this section shall be an offense punishable by a fine of $50.
[Amended 3-29-1993 by Ord. No. 93-10; 5-24-1993 by Ord. No. 93-20]
A.
Picnics may be held in such parts of the parks as
shall be designated for that purpose, and portions of the parks may
be set apart for ball, croquet and other games, subject to such regulations
as may be made by the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, and
no person shall join any such picnics or games without the consent
of the persons of whom they are composed or shall in any manner disturb
or interfere with the same.
B.
Fees for the use of Central Park facilities shall
be set by resolution of the City Council.
[Amended 1-13-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-1; 1-24-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04; 11-28-2011 by Ord. No.
2011-21; 3-11-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-06; 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
C.
Fees are to be paid to the Department of Parks and Recreation at the time of the reservation, at which time pavilion rules and regulations are to be given to the person or group reserving the pavilion space. Rules and regulations shall also be permanently posted at the pavilion and violators will be subject to eviction from the pavilion and/or the park and subject to penalties pursuant to § 186-41 of the Code, forfeiture of deposit and assessment of any and all other damages incurred.
[Amended 1-24-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04]
D.
User fees
for the Central Park ballfields, events within Central Park, and user
fees for ballfields in all City parks shall be set by resolution of
the City Council.
[Added 4-26-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-07; 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
E.
Rental
fees for the pavilion in Steinmetz Park shall be set from time to
time by resolution.
[Added 9-8-2014 by Ord.
No. 2014-20]
[Amended 11-20-1995 by Ord. No. 95-36]
Permits for the exclusive use of any picnic
or playground and for the Central Park Rose Garden for any specified
date or time may be granted at the discretion of the Superintendent
of Parks and Recreation, and no person shall in any manner disturb
or interfere with any club or party occupying the ground under such
permit without his consent.
A.
The permit fees for the use of the Rose Garden, for
both residents and nonresidents, shall be set by resolution of the
City Council, with fee proceeds to be placed into a dedicated fund
under the Rose Garden improvement code of the City budget.
[Amended 10-22-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-11; 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
The Superintendent of Parks and Recreation shall,
in such manner, on such terms and at such times as he shall deem to
the best interests of the City, grant to proper and suitable persons
licenses, rights or privileges to operate the casino and boathouses
and other amusements in the parks and may require in consideration
therefor the payment to the City of fixed sums or a certain proportion
of the receipts derived from such operation; provided, however, that
such operation shall be in a style and manner satisfactory to the
Superintendent of Parks and Recreation and subject to the provisions
of this chapter. Every such license, right or privilege should be
personal and not assignable except with the consent of said Superintendent
of Parks and Recreation.
No change shall be made in the construction
of the house, nor shall any stand or counter be erected in any part,
without the consent of the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation.
A.
No person except the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation
and those in his employ shall, without the permission of the Superintendent,
place upon the lake or any waters of the park any float, boat or any
other watercraft nor shall land or go upon the island of the lake
or shall touch it with a boat or land upon any place of the shores
of the lake not designated as a landing place.
B.
Fees for the rental of pedal boats shall be set by
resolution of the City Council.
[Added 1-13-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-1; amended 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
All persons are forbidden to discharge firearms,
shoot or throw stones or other missiles or in any way disturb or annoy
the squirrels in any park or permit any dog or other animal to run
at large within a park so as to annoy or disturb squirrels.
[Amended 6-2-1986 as L.L. No. 3-1986]
In Central Park, all bathing and use of the
waters shall be restricted to the rules to be laid down by the Superintendent
of Parks and Recreation. No person shall go or send or ride any animal
into any of the waters of the parks nor hunt or disturb any of the
fish, water fowl or other birds in the park or any deer, sheep or
other animal belonging to and preserved therein nor throw or place
any articles or things in the waters within the parks.
Veterans' Memorial Park is hereby designated
to be a commemorative and ornamental park, with its use to be restricted
for such purposes. All persons using Veterans' Memorial Park are forbidden
to walk, stand or sit upon any monuments, vases, fountains, railings,
fences or gun carriages or to swim or bathe in any fountains spouting
or containing water. Such persons are further prohibited from walking,
standing, sitting or sleeping upon any other property or grounds not
designated or customarily used for such purposes. Any and all pathways
in said Veterans' Memorial Park shall be kept free and unobstructed
at all times in order to permit free passage to those using the park.
[Added 4-11-1977 by Ord. No. 77-21; amended 2-2-1981 by Ord. No. 81-02; 4-15-1991 by Ord. No. 91-15; 3-29-1993 by Ord. No. 93-09; 1-13-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-1; 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
A.
No person may play tennis on tennis courts in Central
Park without an identification card issued by the Department of Parks
and Recreation upon the payment of an annual fee which shall be set
by resolution of the City Council. The Superintendent of Parks and
Recreation may authorize exceptions to this restriction to permit
play for limited periods by bona fide houseguests of persons possessing
identification cards.
B.
A nonresident of the City may play tennis on the tennis
courts in Central Park only upon payment of a fee for the playing
season, which includes the cost of the identification cards. The fee
is to be paid at the time the nonresident obtains an identification
card from the Department of Parks and Recreation.
C.
Resident or nonresident persons participating in tournament
play in Central Park shall be permitted to play only upon payment
of a fee, which includes the cost of an identification card, is payable
at the time of obtaining the identification card from the Department
of Parks and Recreation, and shall be set by resolution of the City
Council.
D.
Tennis instructors shall pay a fee to be set by resolution
of the City Council per hour per court and shall be registered with
the Department of Parks and Recreation.
