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Code of the Township of Abington                                    [ Back to Table of Contents ]

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PART II GENERAL LEGISLATION: Chapter 115, PARKS, PLAYGROUNDS AND SCHOOL DISTRICT GROUNDS

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Abington 5-11-1939 by Ord. No. 431; amended in its entirety 8-8-1963 by Ord. No. 1102. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Animals -- See Ch. 58.

Burning -- See Ch. 65.

Firearms and other weapons -- See Ch. 83.

Garbage, rubbish and refuse -- See Ch. 92.

Loitering -- See Ch. 104.

Nuisances -- See Ch. 108.

Peddling and soliciting -- See Ch. 118.

Smoking in public places -- See Ch. 135.

115-1. Regulations.

A. The following regulations shall apply to all parks and playgrounds under the jurisdiction and control of the Township of Abington:

(1) No person shall enter or leave a park except by the entrances provided for that purpose.

(2) No person shall stand or lie on benches or tables in a park or playground.

(3) No person shall enter a toilet set apart for the use of the opposite sex.

(4) No intoxicating beverages shall be sold or distributed or consumed within a park or playground.

(5) No intoxicated person shall be permitted in a park or playground.

(6) No gambling or any obscene or indecent act shall be allowed in a park or playground.

(7) No abusive, indecent or threatening language or any conduct that may annoy others shall be allowed in a park or playground.

(8) No person shall solicit alms or subscriptions in a park or playground.

(9) No animals shall be allowed in a park or playground.

(10) No person shall sell or expose for sale any tickets of any kind in a park or playground.

(11) No person shall sell or expose for sale any articles within a park or playground.

(12) No person shall discharge any fireworks in a park or playground.

(13) No person shall park an automobile or other vehicle in any roadway or section of ground except in spaces definitely allocated for parking purposes.

(14) No person or persons shall occupy parked vehicles after dark except with interior lights turned on.

(15) No person shall in any way injure or foul any building, equipment or water within a park or playground.

(16) No person shall carry firearms in a park or playground or throw stones or other missiles therein.

(17) No person shall throw any dead animals or offensive matter or substance of any kind within the boundaries of a park or playground.

(18) No person shall scatter, drop or leave in any portion of a park or playground, except in the receptacles provided for that purpose, any piece of paper, rag, garbage, dead flowers, glass, tin containers or other rubbish.

(19) No person shall injure, deface or destroy any notices, rules or regulations for the government of a park or playground, posted or in any other manner permanently fixed within the limits of the same.

(20) No placard, advertisement, public notice or personal card except park and playground notices, rules and regulations shall be distributed, posted or affixed in any manner in a park or playground.

(21) No person shall annoy, strike, injure, maim or kill any animals or birds in a park or playground.

(22) No person shall disturb the fish or water fowl in the streams, pools or ponds, or birds, nests or eggs in any part of a park or playground.

(23) No person shall remove, disturb, interfere with or take any of the blossoms or fruit growing upon any tree, shrub or bush in a park or playground.

(24) No person shall climb any tree or break, cut down, remove or in any manner injure or deface any ornament, tree, plant, shrub, fern, flower, flowerbed, turf or any of the buildings, fences, bridges, playground equipment or other construction within a park or playground; nor shall any person write on any building, structure, fence, rock or stone within a park or playground, or pick or carry away any fern or flower except violets, buttercups, daisies or dandelions.

(25) Overnight camping may be permitted in a park, provided that a permit is secured from the Department of Parks and Recreation for such purpose. No fee shall be charged for the permit.

(26) No person shall light a fire or permit a fire to burn in a park or playground except in the fireplace or other equipment provided therefor. Anyone who discovers a fire in the park is requested to report it promptly.

(27) No gathering or meeting of any kind assembled through advertisement shall be permitted in a park or playground. Meetings or gatherings for political or industrial purposes are not permitted.

(28) No person, without a special permit, shall be allowed in a park except between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., prevailing time.

(29) No groups, parties or individuals shall occupy a park facility in the Township of Abington unless a permit has been secured for such occupancy from the Department of Parks and Recreation Office, Township Building, Abington, Pennsylvania. Any groups, parties or individuals desiring the use of any park facility must be represented by a ratio of 25% of township residents, whose names and addresses must be submitted in writing prior to issuance of a permit. No permit shall be issued unless an application therefor shall have been made at least 24 hours in advance of the time for which the occupancy is desired. [Amended 1-3-1966 by Ord. No. 1174]

(30) Cars shall be parked only in areas designated.

(31) Cars shall be driven carefully. Speed in a park is restricted to 10 miles per hour.

(32) Park usage is restricted to township residents and their guests only.

(33) No person shall park any vehicle, truck trailer, recreation vehicle or equipment, attended or unattended, within any park property between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., prevailing time, except by special permit from the Bureau of Parks and Recreation. [Added 7-12-1984 by Ord. No. 1573]

B. [Added 6-10-1982 by Ord. No. 1540] The following regulations shall apply to all improved and unimproved grounds/land owned by Abington School District:

(1) No group or individual activity is permitted on school grounds during the normal school day other than that related to the instructional or activity program.

(2) Group use of school district athletic fields is governed by permits issued through the Facilities Department. No group activity or use of such fields is permitted without the approval of the school district.

(3) No motorized vehicle shall enter or leave school grounds except by roadways provided for those purposes.

(4) No intoxicating beverages shall be sold, distributed or consumed on school district grounds.

(5) No gambling is permitted on school district grounds.

(6) No intoxicated persons shall be permitted on school grounds.

(7) No abusive, indecent or threatening language or any conduct that may annoy others is permitted on school district grounds.

(8) No solicitation is permitted on school district grounds.

(9) No animals are permitted on school district grounds unless such animals are an approved resource for the instructional program.

(10) No sale of any article by nonschool groups is permitted without a permit on school district grounds.

(11) Fireworks are not permitted on school district grounds without a permit.

(12) No parking of an automobile or vehicle is permitted on school district grounds except in areas allocated for that purpose.

(13) Firearms are not permitted on school district grounds.

(14) Throwing of stones, snowballs or other missiles is not permitted on school district grounds.

(15) No person shall scatter, drop or leave on Abington School District grounds any piece of paper, rag, garbage, dead flowers, glass, tin containers or other rubbish, except in receptacles specifically provided for that purpose.

(16) No placards, advertisements, public notices or personal cards shall be distributed, posted or affixed to buildings or appurtenances on school district grounds.

(17) No person shall climb any tree or break, cut down, remove or in any way injure or deface any ornament, tree, plant, shrub, fern, flower or turf on school district grounds.

(18) No person shall light a fire on school district grounds.

(19) No gathering or meeting of any kind assembled through advertisement shall be permitted on school district grounds without an appropriate permit.

(20) No person without a special permit shall be permitted on school district grounds except between dawn and dusk.

(21) Cars shall be driven carefully. Speed on school district grounds is restricted to 15 miles per hour.

(22) The use of snowmobiles or other such motorized vehicles is prohibited.

(23) The playing of golf on school district grounds is prohibited.

115-2. Enforcement. [Amended 6-10-1982 by Ord. No. 1540]

A. The Department of Parks and Recreation of the Township of Abington shall enforce regulations and exercise general supervision over persons occupying or using the parks and playgrounds.

B. Abington School District personnel shall exercise general supervision over persons occupying or using school district grounds, with the Abington Township Police Department having enforcement powers for these regulations.

115-3. Supervision.

The Department of Parks and Recreation of the Township of Abington shall exercise general supervision over the care, maintenance and replacement of township property and equipment in the parks and playgrounds and shall keep them in a clean and sanitary condition.

115-4. Violations and penalties. [Amended 6-10-1982 by Ord. No. 1540]

A. Any person or persons violating any of the provisions of this chapter or the regulations provided therein may give rise to the revocation of any permit issued.

B. Any person or persons violating any of the provisions of this chapter or the regulations provided therein may also be guilty of a summary offense and, upon conviction thereof before a District Justice, shall be subject to the payment of a fine not to exceed $100 and the costs of prosecution and, in default of payment thereof, shall undergo imprisonment in the township lockup for a period not exceeding five days.

115-5. Smoking regulations. [Added 4-11-1996 by Ord. No. 1763]

A. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

SMOKING -- The possession of a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe or other lighted smoking equipment.

TOBACCO USE -- Smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco in any form.

B. Prohibited activities.

(1) Smoking and tobacco use shall be prohibited on and/or in all Abington School District property, buildings, facilities and buses.

(2) It shall be unlawful for any person to remove, obscure, deface, mutilate or destroy any posted "No Smoking" signs.

C. Posting of signs; "No Smoking" signs. The Fire Marshal, or other designated official, is hereby authorized to order and direct the posting of "No Smoking" signs in the entrance of each school building, structure, facility and in all school buses. The content, lettering, size, color and location of the required "No Smoking" signs shall be subject to the approval of the Fire Marshal.

D. Enforcement. The primary responsibility for the enforcement of this section shall be with the school authorities. The Fire Marshal shall have secondary enforcement responsibilities of this section.

E. Severability. If any sentence, clause, section or part of this section is for any reason found to be unconstitutional, illegal or invalid, such unconstitutionality, illegality or invalidity shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections or parts of this section. It is hereby declared as the intent of the Township of Abington that this section would have been adopted had such unconstitutional, illegal or invalid clause, section or part thereof not been included herein.

F. Violations and penalties. Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a summary offense and, upon conviction, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of $100 for a first conviction, $150 for a second conviction or $200 for a third or subsequent conviction and all costs of prosecution. In default of payment of such fines and costs, any person convicted of violating this section may be imprisoned for not more than 90 days.