ORDINANCE NO. 345

AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING RULES AND REGULATIONS TO BE OBSERVED AND ENFORCED WITHIN THE PUBLIC PARKS OF THE CITY OF COLUMBIA CITY, OREGON, AND PROVIDING FOR PUNISHMENT FOR VIOLATION THEREOF.

THE CITY OF COLUMBIA CITY ORDAINS AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. [Definitions.] The words "public parks" as used herein shall mean and include all recreational properties owned and controlled by the City of Columbia City, Oregon, or all recreational properties available for use of the public within the City of Columbia City.

SECTION 2. [Rules and Regulations.] For the conduct of persons using or frequenting the public parks of Columbia City, Oregon, the following rules and regulations to be observed and enforced within said public parks are hereby established:

A.    Fires. No person shall build any fire within public parks except in a stove or fireplace provided therefor. However, cooking stoves may be used within said park if in safe operating conditions, and used within established picnic areas. No fire shall be left unattended and every fire shall be extinguished before its user leaves the park area.

B.  Animals. No person shall in any manner pursue, kill, injure, hunt or molest any bird or animal within any park.

C.  Dogs. No person shall permit any dog to run at large within any public park, and all dogs shall be kept in control on a leash at all times. Owners of dogs or other animals damaging or destroying park property shall be liable for the full value of the property damaged or destroyed, in addition to impounding fees and the penalty imposed for violation of this ordinance.

D.  Motor Vehicles. No motor vehicle, trailers, or motorcycles shall be operated, stopped, parked or left standing any place in a public park except on roads and parking areas provided therefor.

E.  Hours. No person shall use or frequent the Columbia City Bike Path between the hours of twelve midnight and five a.m.  No person shall use or frequent or park in a vehicle in any other public park between the hours of dusk and dawn except during special occasions or events as may be authorized by order of the City Council.  [Amended by Ordinance No. 06-631-O 9/22/06]

F.  Waste Materials. No person shall scatter, discard or dispose of any garbage, bottles, broken glass, tin cans, or paper, litter or waste materials of any kind excepting in receptacles provided therefor. It shall be unlawful for any person to haul household garbage, rubbish or trash to the city park and deposit the same in the park or on public property.

G.  Sanitation. No person shall blow, spread or place any nasal or other bodily discharge, or urinate or defecate within parks excepting directly into the particular fixture provided for that purpose.

H.  Plants, Structures. No person shall pick, mutilate, dig or remove from the park any plant or plants or in any way deface or mutilate, burn, destroy, defile or remove any railing, building, seat, fence, park facility, decorative item, any other structure or tree within a park or remove from the park any logs or wood.

I.  Soil, Rock. No person shall dig, excavate, blast, quarry or remove any soil, rock, stones or other substance from a park and no person shall assist in said removal.

J.  Signs. No person shall erect signs, markers or inscriptions of any type within the limits of a city park without a specific permit from the City Council.

K.  Soliciting. No person while in a city park may operate a concession, either fixed or mobile, or engage in the business of soliciting, selling or peddling any liquids, or edibles for human consumption, or distribute circulars, or hawk, peddle or vend any goods, wares or merchandise, or set up or use a public address system in a city park without a specific written permit from the City Council.

L.  Public Nuisance. No person shall use abusive, threatening, boisterous, vile, obscene or indecent language, or gestures in a park, nor shall any person cause, attempt to cause, or bring about any public nuisance. Drunken and/or disorderly conduct shall be deemed a public nuisance and shall be cause for expulsion from the park.

M.  Public Drinking Fountains. No person shall willfully mark, scratch, disfigure, deface or in any manner injure any public drinking fountain in the city, or throw, place or deposit in any cup or basin of same any cigar or cigarette stub, or any other matter of refuse whatever.

N.  Permits Required. Permits shall be required for the assembly of persons in the city park to which the general public is invited when it is reasonably expected that such assembly will be attended by 50 or more persons. The City Council may require the person, persons, club group, organization, corporation to furnish police, fire, medical, sanitary and clean-up services. Permits shall also be required for music, art, religious and other shows and/or displays in city parks.

O.  All ordinances of the City of Columbia City shall apply to and be in full force and effect within public parks.

SECTION 3. Penalties. Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined an amount not to exceed $300.  [Amended by Ordinance No. 04-592-O 3/4/04.]

[SECTION 4. Separability.]

SECTION 5. Park Trespass. Any peace officer or Park official or employee may exclude any person who violates any provision of this or any other applicable City ordinance, or any of the laws of the State of Oregon from any or all City parks for a period not to exceed 120 days.

Written notice shall be given to any person excluded from any City park(s). Such notice shall specify the dates and places of exclusion. It shall be signed by the issuing party; warning of consequences for failure to comply shall be prominently displayed on the notice.

A person receiving such notice may appeal to the City Marshall, to have the written notice rescinded or the period shortened. An appeal must be filed with the City Marshall within five days of receiving notice.

This section is in addition to and not in lieu of any other ordinance or law. [Amended by Ord. No. 479 11/18/93.]

Passed by the council and approved by the mayor August 2, 1978.

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