8.230 Regulations of Parks and Related Facilities.

(1) Alcohol Beverages.

(a) Pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 125.06(6), fermented malt beverages may be sold by City officers or employees in any City park under such terms and conditions as authorized by the Chief of Police and Director of Public Infrastructure or their designee.

(b) No person shall possess or consume alcoholic beverages, wine or fermented malt beverages in Washington Park, Union Park, Riverview Park, Pulaski Park, Lincolnshire Park, Schuette’s Park, Custerdale Playground, Union Park Playground, Mariner’s Landing, Manitowoc Youth Baseball Complex at Citizen Park, or Municipal Athletic Field, except where provided pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section, and except where the person has obtained possession of fermented malt beverages from the holder of a Class “B” license authorizing the sale of such beverages at such park. This prohibition shall extend to the sidewalks in and immediately adjacent to the parks listed above, except that it shall not be a violation of this section if any person possesses wine or alcoholic beverages on such sidewalks in the original unopened containers.

(c) No person shall possess or consume any alcoholic beverages, wine or fermented malt beverages on the sidewalks surrounding the parks named in subsection (1)(b) of this section except where provided pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section, and except that it shall not be a violation of this section if a person possesses the beverages on the sidewalks in their original unopened containers or if a person has obtained permission from the Special Events Committee/Common Council to possess alcoholic beverages in the above-named parks.

(2) Horseback Riding Prohibited. No horseback riding shall be permitted within the limits of any City park or Evergreen Cemetery at any time.

(3) Park Hours.

(a) Standard Park Hours. Park hours are 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., unless otherwise stated by ordinance.

(b) Special Facilities Rules. Persons who have a rental contract with the City of Manitowoc for Lincoln Park Fieldhouse, Lincoln Park Cabin, Lincoln Park Cabin 2, Silver Creek Park Concession Stand or Silver Creek Park Fieldhouse may remain in the cabin with their guests until 12:00 a.m. for the event. Persons listed on the contract may remain in the cabin from 12:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. to clean up after the event.

(c) Lincoln Park Zoo. Except for authorized personnel or City sponsored activities it shall be unlawful for any person to be within the perimeter fence or the immediate surrounding outside boundaries of the Lincoln Park Zoo area between sundown and sunrise.

(d) Waysides. No person shall remain in any wayside operated by any State or local government located in the City of Manitowoc which is closed by signs placed in a location to give reasonable notice to the public that the wayside is closed.

(4) Loud Noise. The Police Department shall police all park areas of the City of Manitowoc parks and keep the volume of public address systems or loudspeakers confined to the immediate area of the participating groups. The Police Department shall order a reduction in the volume of said public address system or loudspeakers whenever it becomes a nuisance because of the volume or the method in which it is being operated.

(5) Vehicles.

(a) No person may operate an automobile, motor truck, motor delivery wagon, bus, motorcycle, mini-bus or other motor vehicle or trailer used in connection therewith in any City of Manitowoc park or cemetery, or on any school grounds in the City of Manitowoc, unless the area over which the vehicle is operated has been specifically designated by the Manitowoc Common Council or other appropriate authority for usage of a vehicle. The Common Council may limit the type of vehicle owned which may be operated in any park area or cemetery area.

(b) Subsection (5)(a) of this section shall not apply to any vehicle owned by the State, the United States or a local unit of government or any vehicle operated by employees, agents or officers of the State, the United States or of a local unit of government while in the performance of their official duties. Subsection (5)(a) of this section shall not apply to any vehicle traveling on the designated vehicular roads in the parks or cemeteries of the City of Manitowoc.

(6) Fires. No fires shall be permitted in any City park except charcoal fires in barbecue grills. The Director of Parks and Recreation or his designee is authorized to grant specific exceptions to this rule in individual instances where adequate precautions are taken to assure public safety.

(7) Loitering in Parking Areas. No person, after having been warned by a police officer, shall loiter, stand, congregate, sit or lie in or upon any designated vehicular parking area in any City park for the purpose of eating or drinking, listening to music, or conducting other social activities not incidental to walking to or from other park areas or loading or unloading items for use in other park areas. The purpose of this subsection is to assure that recreational park activities occur in designated parking areas and prevent littering in those areas. The Special Events Committee/Common Council may grant exceptions to these restrictions on the use of parking areas for special events.

(8) Rules. The Parks and Recreation Committee of the Common Council is authorized to promulgate rules for the regulation of City parks and events in the parks. Any person who violates such rules shall be considered to have violated this section and be subject to any penalties therefor.

(9) Metal Detecting.

(a) Purpose and Intent. It is the policy of the City to regulate metal detector use within parks in order to protect park landscaping and turf areas and to restrict metal detecting activities to appropriate parks based on the use of the park.

(b) Policy. Metal detecting is permitted from sunrise to sunset or during posted park hours in all City beach park areas listed below, and other nondesignated beach areas within City limits upon prior approval by the Public Infrastructure Committee:

1. Silver Creek Park Beach Area;

2. Red Arrow Park Beach Area;

3. South Lakefront Wayside Beach Area;

4. Lakeview Park Beach Area;

5. Memorial Drive Wayside Beach Area;

6. Mariners Trail Beach Area.

(c) Digging Tools. Shovels, spades, garden trowels, and other similar tools may not be used to dig into or turn over ground areas that are covered by turf, vegetation, shrubs, or trees. The only permissible digging tools are screwdrivers, ice picks, and other similar narrow pronged devices.

(d) Finding and Removing Items from Parks. Any person wishing to remove any item or historical object found within a park by metal detection must first report said item to the City parks office by calling (920) 686-3580 or emailing
parksadmin@manitowoc.org.

(e) Fees. No fee shall be charged for metal detecting in City parks.

(10) Inflatable Devices Prohibited. No person may erect an inflatable device such as a “bounce house,” swimming pool, or other inflatable structure used for recreational purposes in any City park unless such inflatable device is erected as part of an event approved by the Special Events Committee/Common Council.

(11) Staking or Digging in Parks Prohibited. No person may dig, damage, or disturb turfed areas within any City park unless such activity is authorized by the Special Events Committee/Common Council.

[Ord. 23-172 § 1, 2023; Ord. 20-693 § 1, 2020; Ord. 18-834 § 1, 2018; Ord. 17-732 § 1, 2017; Ord. 17-636 § 1, 2017; Ord. 16-864 § 1, 2016. Prior code § 8.23]