Certain rules and regulations regarding the city’s parks have been adopted to aid in protecting both people and the parks themselves so that everyone can safely enjoy their visit. This is a partial set of rules.
Compliance
Compliance with the rules and regulations is a condition of the use of the city's public parks and playgrounds. Any person violating any of these rules shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, be punished as provided in section 1-14 of the city code.
Driving vehicles or animals in parks
It shall be unlawful for any person to drive or propel any vehicle or motor vehicle or drive any horse or other large animal in, over or through any park or trail, excepting upon paved streets or driveways, or to drive or propel along or over any park drives, trails, or parkways any heavy laden vehicles or any vehicles carrying merchandise, goods, material or rubbish or any moving van or truck.
Injuring property
It shall be unlawful for any person to remove, destroy, mutilate or deface any structure, monument, statue, vase, fountain, wall, fence, railing, vehicle, bench, tree, shrub, fern, plant, flower or other property in any park or playground.
Parking on park roads
It shall be unlawful for any person to park a vehicle upon any paved park road or drive when official signs giving notice thereof are duly erected.
Practicing golf
It shall be unlawful for any person to practice golf in any park not designated for that purpose. Presently, a designated area in Hamilton Park is the only park area that can be utilized to practice golf.
Sales of goods or wares
It shall be unlawful for any person within a park or playground to sell or offer for sale any goods or wares.
Signs and other advertising devices
It shall be unlawful for any person to place or erect any structure, sign, bulletin board, post, pole or advertising device of any kind whatever in any park or playground or to attach any notice, bill, poster, sign, wire, rod or cord to any tree, shrub, fence, railing, post or structure therein. However, the city council may permit erection of temporary decorations on occasions of public celebration or holidays.
Tethering or pasturing animals
It shall be unlawful for any person to tether or pasture any cow, horse, mule or domestic animal in or upon any park or playground.
Walking, standing or sitting on flower beds, monuments, fountains or railings
It shall be unlawful to walk, stand or sit on any border, flower bed, monument, vase, fountain, railing or fence in any park or playground.
Radio-controlled model aircraft
Radio-controlled model aircraft shall not be flown in Lake Wichita Park west of the existing concrete runway, as extended, or within 500 feet of either of the softball backstops located east of the runway, as extended, when any such backstop is being used.
Closing of parks during certain hours
All city-owned parks within the city, except for those located at Lake Arrowhead, shall be closed every day from 12:00 midnight until 5:00 a.m. It shall be unlawful for anyone to loiter, idle, wander, stroll or play in such parks during such period when they are closed.
However, if anyone applies for permission to carry out an activity in a park during such hours and the director of parks and recreation determines that such activity will not create a disturbance or public nuisance, the director shall have authority to issue a special permit for such activity.
Possession, consumption of alcoholic beverages in parks
(a) The possession of alcoholic beverages and the consumption of alcoholic beverages in any park in the city and in all public street rights-of-way abutting any such park is prohibited.
(b) There is exempted from the operation of subsection (a) of this section alcoholic beverages at the Weeks Park municipal golf course if:
(1) The alcoholic beverage is purchased from the city or other entity licensed to sell alcoholic beverages on the premises; or
(2) The possession or consumption is at an event or function approved in advance by the city manager.
(c) There is exempted from the operation of subsection (a) of this section any function held in the picnic shelter or the Log Cabin at Lucy Park or the picnic shelter at Weeks Park when such picnic shelter is reserved for such function with the parks and recreation department in advance and the director of parks and recreation has authorized the consumption of alcoholic beverages at such function.
The parks and recreation department shall authorize such consumption unless the persons seeking such authority have, in the past, been guilty of breaches of the peace.
Prohibited activities around waterfalls
No person shall walk, skate or ride a bicycle, scooter or skateboard off the paved trails and steps connecting to the waterfalls between the I-44 service road on the east and a point 200 feet west of the waterfalls.
No person shall climb the ornamental rockwork around the waterfalls or ride a bicycle, roller skates, scooter or skateboard on the switchback trail leading up to the observation area on the top of the waterfalls or on the paved steps immediately west of the waterfalls.
No person shall ride a bicycle, roller skates, scooter or skateboard on the trail around the pond in Lucy Park off Terrace Drive. It shall be unlawful for any person who is riding a bicycle, roller skates, scooter or skateboard on a park trail in any city park to fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on such park trail.
Swimming in certain areas
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to swim or bathe in any ornamental water fountains, ponds, streams or lakes situated in any city parks within the city, except Lake Wichita and the areas of Lake Arrowhead which are not designated as a no swimming area by subsection (b) of this section.
It shall also be unlawful for any person to permit any animal to wade, bathe or swim in ponds in Lucy Park and all public fountains situated within the city.
(b) The area from the spillway at Lake Arrowhead to a point 2,000 feet downstream shall be designated a no swimming area. The department of parks and recreation may post appropriate signs to designate such areas as no swimming areas.
(c) Any person who is convicted of violating this section shall be punished by a fine as provided in section 1-14.
Fishing in Lucy Park Pond
Fishing in Lucy Park pond is prohibited. An appropriate sign shall be erected within the park indicating that fishing in the pond is unauthorized.
Camping near Lake Wichita
No person shall camp within 200 feet of the edge of Lake Wichita at the spillway level or within 200 feet of the canal.
Parking on Lake Wichita Dam
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or park a motor vehicle on the Lake Wichita Dam except city, county, and state vehicles and such others as are authorized by the director of public works.
(b) Any person convicted of violating this section shall be punished by a fine as provided in section 1-14.
Dumping of refuse, trash or debris in Wichita River
No person shall deposit, place or dump or cause to be deposited, placed or dumped any trash, refuse, debris, dead animals, tin cans, worn out automobiles or parts thereof or any waste materials of any kind or character upon the banks or in the bed of the Wichita River within the corporate city limits.
Pollution of lakes
(a) "Litter" shall mean garbage, including animal and vegetable wastes, resulting from the preparation, cooking and consumption of food; and trash, including boxes, crates, cloth, paper, cans, bottles, and any other refuse or debris and specifically including moss, weeds, or other marine vegetation growths which may cut loose and set adrift in the course of attempting to kill off such growth.
(b) There shall not be dumped, thrown, drained or discharged, directly or indirectly, into the city water supply any sewage, industrial waste, oil, effluent, waste, gas, liquid, herbicide, pesticide, litter, soil, solid, or other matter of a nature, or in quantities, or in a concentration that by itself, or in conjunction with any other such matter, does or tends to render the waters of the city water supply unfit or undesirable for use as a domestic, agricultural, industrial, or commercial source or supply of water, or that does, or tends to cause the waters to become unsanitary, odorous, polluted, discolored, or contaminated, or that does, or tends to render such waters undesirable or unfit for recreational purposes.
The doing of any act prohibited hereby shall hereafter be referred to as "pollution". Pollution shall refer to water quality criteria as established by the state natural resources conservation commission or as determined by the director of the Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health Director or his/her designated representative.
(c) Pursuant to V.T.C.A., Local Government Code § 217.042, each of the acts prohibited hereby is declared to be a public nuisance and unlawful; and any person committing any act prohibited hereby, or failing to do any act required by this section, shall be guilty of violating the provisions of this section.
Fishing in South Weeks Park Ponds
Fishing in Weeks Park ponds located south of Southwest Parkway is permitted. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's Neighborhood Fishin' regulations apply: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/
