[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Coolbaugh as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 9-3-2019 by Ord. No. 138-2019]
The purpose of this article is to set forth rules and regulations governing the use of public parks and other lands owned by Coolbaugh Township and providing penalties for violation thereof.
A. 
All Township parks and lands owned by Coolbaugh Township shall be open from sunrise to sunset. In no event shall any person be permitted to be in attendance in any park or lands of Coolbaugh Township between sunset and sunrise without written permission from the Board of Supervisors or an authorized employee of the Township. This limitation does not apply to any prior application which has been approved for use of park facilities by the Township with a preapproved schedule.
B. 
In the event of hazardous conditions that endanger life or property, any Township park or lands of Coolbaugh Township may be closed at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors, Township Management, or a duly authorized agent. For purposes of this article, "Township Management" is defined as the Township Business Manager, Secretary/Treasurer, Public Works Superintendent, or a sworn Pocono Mountain Regional Police Officer.
A. 
The use of all Township parks shall be on a first-come-first-served basis unless otherwise reserved.
B. 
Scheduled use of park facilities for all organized group instruction, exhibition and practice, competition, and demonstration events requires prior application approval from the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Township Board of Supervisors, Township Business Manager or a designated agent. Requests for park reservations shall be made, in writing, on such forms as prescribed by the Township. Applications must be submitted no less than 30 days' prior to the date of the requested reservation and must be accompanied by the appropriate fee as set by resolution.
C. 
The Township Business Manager, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, or a designated agent are authorized to grant or deny reservation requests.
D. 
The Township reserves the right to deny any requests for park usage.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation using such Township parks or other Township lands to either perform or permit to be performed any of the following acts and/or conduct:
A. 
Disorderly conduct and/or the use of threatening, profane and/or obscene language.
B. 
Disturbing the peace by any conduct so as to annoy any other person using the park for approved purposes. Loud music, the determination of which shall be within the sole discretion of the Township, shall be prohibited unless otherwise approved by the Township.
C. 
Abuse or misuse of athletic fields and surfaces.
D. 
The consumption or possession of illegal drugs and/or alcoholic beverages.
E. 
Using athletic fields for golfing purposes.
F. 
Cooking or open fires of any type except in permitted facilities or areas specially designated for that purpose.
G. 
Littering.
H. 
Removal, tampering, or adding of any vegetation on any park property.
I. 
Hunting, trapping, feeding, possession, removal, or disruption of wildlife or their young is prohibited unless otherwise posted and/or permitted by the Township in writing.
J. 
Soliciting or distributing handbills; provided, however, that activities protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Pennsylvania Constitution shall not be prohibited by this provision and provided that any person so protected seeking to distribute handbills shall remove all litter which may result from persons refusing or discarding such handbills.
K. 
Skateboarding or roller activity except in permitted facilities or areas specifically designated for that purpose.
L. 
The operation of minibikes, four wheelers, three wheelers, snowmobiles, or similar all-terrain vehicles is prohibited except for on the roads if such vehicle is properly licensed for such use. This provision does not apply to a power-driven and/or motorized handicapped mobility device used by a handicapped individual for purposes of mobility.
M. 
Use of glass containers.
N. 
Use or possession of any bow and arrow, slingshot, air rifle or any device (other than firearms as defined in the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act[1]) capable of throwing any projectile of any sort, including the hand throwing of rocks and stones intended to be used as weapons.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6101 et seq.
O. 
In the event an entire park is reserved for a special event which may involve any of the abovementioned prohibited activities, an exception may be made by the Township Business Manager or Board of Supervisors. Requests must be made at the time of application and following review. The person reserving the park is responsible for any activities that violate the terms of the reservation.
Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent or a person acting in loco parentis.
A. 
The operation of licensed motor vehicles is restricted to roads and paved parking areas only.
B. 
Operation of any nonlicensed motor vehicles, including snowmobiles, minibikes, motorcycles, dirt bikes, four wheelers, three wheelers or any other nonlicensed vehicles (recreational or otherwise), is prohibited unless otherwise designated.
C. 
Vehicles shall park in only designated parking spaces, as designated by signs and/or parking bollards.
D. 
The motor vehicle speed limit, except as otherwise posted, shall be five miles per hour.
E. 
Washing, waxing, or any type of mechanical repairs to vehicles while in any Township park is not permitted except for emergency road service or repairs.
F. 
Emergency and Township vehicles are exempt from this section.
G. 
There shall be no overnight parking. Vehicles parked overnight will be towed at the owner's expense.
A. 
Pets are permitted in parks provided they are on a leash and attended to and under their owner's control at all times. With the exception of on-duty police dogs, search and rescue dogs and/or dogs within the Township dog park, all pets shall be kept on a leash while on Township lands.
B. 
Pets shall be kept off athletic fields and playgrounds at all times.
C. 
Owners shall clean up all waste from their pets.
No commercial or promotional activities are permitted in Township parks without the expressed written consent of the Township Board of Supervisors.
A. 
Pocono Mountain Regional Police Officers and authorized Code Enforcement Officers shall have the authority to give direction to the public and to enforce these rules and regulations.
B. 
Any person, individual, partnership, copartnership, association or corporation violating any provision of this article shall be guilty of a summary offense and, upon conviction in summary proceedings held before a District Justice, shall be subject to a maximum fine of $300 and, in default of payment of such fines and costs, to imprisonment in the Monroe County Prison for no more than five days.
The Board of Supervisors reserves the right to charge a fee for the use of the parks, lands, and athletic fields of Coolbaugh Township. The fee shall be set by resolution.