[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of
Ridley 11-22-1995 by Ord. No. 1741. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
Any carnival, circus, tent show or traveling amusement show organized,
sponsored or for the benefit of a "for-profit" organization.
Any activity which occurs upon private or public property that will
affect the ordinary use of public streets, rights-of-way or sidewalks, including
but not limited to social gatherings, special appearances, promotional activities,
foot races and bicycle races. Specifically excluded from this definition are
private social gatherings which will make no use of Township streets other
than for lawful parking.
All carnivals and tent shows are hereby declared to be public nuisances,
prejudicial to the public health, safety and morals and are hereby prohibited
within the limits of the Township of Ridley.
No person or organization shall conduct a special event that affects
the ordinary use of public streets, rights-of-way or sidewalks without first
having obtained a special event permit from the Township of Ridley.
An application for a special event permit shall be submitted to the
Captain of Police with a nonrefundable payment as set from time to time by
resolution of the Board of Commissioners no later than 45 days prior to the
proposed event. The following information shall be provided:
A.
Purpose of the special event;
B.
Name, address and telephone number of the sponsoring
organization or individual;
C.
Proposed date, location and hours of operation;
D.
Schedule of proposed events;
E.
Any other information as the Captain of Police or another
Township official deems reasonably necessary to determine that the permit
meets the requirements of this chapter.
Reasons for denial of a special permit include:
A.
The special event will substantially interrupt the safe
and orderly movement of traffic within the Township of Ridley so as to create
a real and present danger to the health, safety and welfare of the residents
of the Township of Ridley.
B.
The special event will create a real and present danger
to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Township of Ridley
by preventing fire-fighting equipment, ambulance service rescue vehicles and/or
police vehicles from being able to reach any property in the Township of Ridley.
C.
The special event is reasonably likely to cause injury
to persons or property or to provoke disorderly conduct or to create an unreasonable
disturbance.
D.
The special event will cause undue hardship to adjacent
businesses or residents or will require the diversion of so many public employees
that allowing the event would unreasonably deny service to the remainder of
the Township.
E.
The application contains incomplete or false information.
F.
The applicant fails to comply with all terms of this
chapter, including failure to remit all fees.
G.
The special event may substantially interfere in any
way with the general health, safety and welfare of the Township residents.
The Captain of Police, in conjunction with any other appropriate Township
official, shall determine the approximate cost of the special event to the
Township of Ridley to maintain the public peace and order at the special event.
This determination shall include, but is not limited to, the cost of additional
police present at the event, any alterations to the normal traffic flow, or
any other contingency that requires the attention of a public employee. The
total of these costs shall be known as the "total street management cost to
the Township" and shall be paid to the Township by the sponsoring organization
prior to the issuance of a permit.
The Captain of Police shall act upon the application for a special event
permit within 10 days after the filing thereof. If the Captain of Police disapproves
the application, he shall mail to the applicant, within 10 days after the
filing date, a notice of his actions stating with specificity the reasons
for his denial of the permit.
Immediately upon the issuance of a special event permit the Captain
of Police shall send a copy thereof to the following:
Each special event permit shall state the information as provided by
the applicant in the permit application, subject to any changes made by the
Township in order to ensure compliance with this chapter.
Applicant shall have the sole responsibility of clearing the special
event location of any rubbish and debris and returning it to its pre-event
condition within 12 hours of the conclusion of the event. If the applicant
fails to do so, such cleanup shall be arranged by the Township and the cost
charged to the applicant.
Any applicant whose special event permit application has been denied
or revoked may appeal the decision of the Captain of Police to the Township
Board of Commissioners by filing a written notice of such appeal with the
Township Manager within five days of the notice of denial of applicant's
application by the Captain of Police. The Township Board of Commissioners
shall set a hearing date within 15 days of receiving such appeal request.
At such hearing the applicant is entitled to be heard and present evidence
on his behalf. The Township Board of Commissioners shall determine whether
the denial or revocation of the permit is justified.
Any person, firm or corporation who violates any of the provisions of
this chapter shall, upon conviction before a District Justice, be sentenced
to pay a fine not exceeding $1,000, plus costs of prosecution, and in default
of payment of such fine and costs shall be imprisoned for a period not to
exceed 30 days. Each day such a violation is committed or permitted to continue
shall constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable as such hereunder.
