Town of Johnston, RI Article II General Park Rules

[Adopted 12-10-1979 by Ord. No. 440 as Sec. 19-9 of the 1979 Code]

§ 242-3 Rules and regulations enumerated; violations and penalties.

[Amended 5-11-1992 by Ord. No. 856]

A. No. 1: Intoxicating beverages. No intoxicating beverages may be sold or consumed within the limits of a park or any public recreation area.

B. No. 2: Fires. No person shall light a fire in the park or recreation area, except in places designated for that purpose by special permit, nor leaving burning matter at any place.

C. No. 3: Paper, refuse, etc. No person shall leave paper, glass, or other refuse on the grounds of a park or recreation area, but shall place such refuse in the receptacles that are provided.

D. No. 4: Damage to trees, etc. No person shall cut, remove or damage any tree, bush, plant, fence, berry, flower, or any other shrubbery, building, or other public property or affix a sign in any park, except upon authorization of proper officers.

E. No. 5: Hunting, trapping, etc. No person shall hunt or trap, or carry a firearm or have any device or animal used for hunting or trapping in a park, and no person shall injure or have in his possession thereon any wild animal, bird, bird's egg or nest.

F. No. 6: Animals and fowl. Unless otherwise explicitly allowed or prohibited by the Director of Parks and Recreation, no person shall allow any animal, fowl, or pet other than a properly licensed and leashed dog upon a park. Except when or where officially allowed, no person shall hitch any animal to a tree or a bush. The Director of Parks and Recreation may at his discretion establish a kennel to house an animal such as a border collie for the purpose of controlling geese and other fowl within the boundaries of Johnston War Memorial Park.

[Amended 12-13-1999 by Ord. No. 1098; 9-19-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-12]

G. No. 7: Profanity, etc. No person shall use profane or indecent language, or in any way annoy another person or commit any disorderly or indecent act within the limits of a park or public recreation area.

H. No. 8: Curfew. A curfew of 10:00 p.m. is hereby imposed upon and about all owned recreation areas. This curfew may be extended in lighted recreational areas being used for approved sporting events and/or supervised recreation activities.

[Amended 12-8-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-12]

I. No. 9: Drive vehicles, ride animals. No person shall ride or drive any animal, or power propelled vehicle or any other vehicle within any park or recreation area, except for the purpose of parking those vehicles in the designated parking areas.

J. No. 10: Feeding of fowl. No person shall be allowed to feed any fowl of any type including sea gulls, ducks and pigeons in the park or any public recreation areas.

K. No. 11: Golfing. No person shall be allowed to golf on the public grounds of the park or public recreation areas inclusive of all ball fields.

L. No. 12: Any person violating Subsections A through K (No. 1 through No. 11) of this section shall be punished by a fine of $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second offense, and $100 for each offense thereafter. Any person or business violating any portion of this chapter is liable to the Town of Johnston for any and all damages that occurred as a direct or indirect result of the violation.

[Amended 9-19-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-12]

M. No. 13: No person shall smoke or otherwise use tobacco products in the park or any public recreation area of the park. Any person violating this article may be subject to immediate ejection from the park and may be subject to a fine of $100.

[Added 8-21-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-10]

N. No. 14: No trespassing, Johnston High School Athletic Complex:

[Added 12-8-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-12]

(1) The Johnston High School Athletic Complex is defined as the track, football field, stadium, and the area surrounding said stadium, including all land east of the Johnston High School and parking lot or as further identified by boundary signage.

(2) No person or persons may trespass on the Johnston High School Athletic Complex. Any organization, person, or persons trespassing on said premises shall be punishable by a fine of $50 for the first offense, $250 for the second offense, $500 for the third offense, and be liable for any damages incurred.

O. No. 15: No trespassing, any and all Town-owned dams.

[Added 1-11-2016 by Ord. No. 2015-22]

(1) A "Town-owned dam" is defined as any barrier constructed to hold back water and/or raise the level of any body of water and/or create a reservoir or other man-made body of water. A Town-owned dam shall include all Town-owned land within five feet of the dam structure. Town-owned dams include but are not limited to the following dams: Oak Swamp Reservoir, Almy Reservoir, Simmons Upper Reservoir, Simmons Lower Reservoir, Memorial Park Pond, and Pocasset Pond.

(2) To protect the health and safety of the residents of the Town of Johnston, no person or persons may trespass on any Town-owned dam. Any organization, person, or persons trespassing on Town-owned dams shall be punishable by a fine of $50 for the first offense, $250 for the second offense, $500 for the third offense, and be liable for any damages incurred.

P. No. 16: Before any business may use the public parks in the Town of Johnston in furtherance of its business operations, it must produce proof of appropriate insurance to the Director of Parks and Recreation and acknowledge that all parks are public space free and open to all members of the public, and no business may prevent members of the public from accessing or using any portion of any park.

[Added 9-19-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-12]