Park rules aim to keep events under control
TEXARKANA, Texas — New rules enacted this week put restrictions on large gatherings to prevent crowds from overwhelming the city’s smaller parks.
Each city park is now designated as either a neighborhood park or community park, and events likely to draw large groups are allowed only in community parks. The new rules also spell out the responsibilities of event organizers, including reporting “crashers” to the police.
The change comes in response to recent incidents in which residents have misrepresented gatherings on special-event permit applications, Parks and Recreation Director Robby Robertson told the City Council in a briefing Monday. Events described as smaller gatherings such as birthday parties have then been advertised on social media as open to the public, causing crowd control and safety issues at parks not meant to host large numbers of people.
Texarkana, Texas, Police Department supports steering special events to larger parks that have adequate room and infrastructure to support them, spokesman Shawn Vaughn said. The Department has received numerous complaints about very large, organized events in some neighborhood parks in the last few months.
“The parking and noise issues created by these huge events are disruptive to those who live nearby and a safety concern for everyone. These parks were simply not designed accommodate the size of crowds that we’ve seen,” he said.
As an example, Vaughn cited several recent events that have attracted more than 500 people to Bell Park on Lincoln Street, south of College Drive. The park has seven parking spaces.
Under the new rules, Spring Lake, Wallace and Bringle parks are community parks where special events may be held.
Special events are defined as “an event coordinated by an individual or group that advertises to the public and invites the public to its event” or “parties, dances, parades, weddings, celebrations, or other gatherings which would likely result in traffic congestion, parking problems, crowds, sanitation problems, excessive noise, security or safety concerns, violations of City Code, or any other circumstances likely to cause a breach of the peace or adversely affect the health and safety of the public or any participant at the special event.”
Bell, Beverly, Ferguson, Findley, Joplin, Karrh and Kidtopia parks are neighborhood parks where such events are not allowed.
Any proposed use of a park must be submitted to the Parks and Rec director. If the director determines that the use is a regulated special event, its organizer must submit a special-event permit application. The city Safety Committee reviews and approves or denies the applications.
No application will be considered that requests a special event in a neighborhood park.
The new rules make clear the responsibilities of anyone using any park for any purpose.
Organizers are responsible for complying with park rules and the city code, and for the conduct of participants. They must be present for the duration of the use.
They must promptly notify police or a park official if an uninvited person “crashes” a gathering, and they must immediately stop park use if it causes traffic congestion, a noise complaint or a nuisance.
Organizers also must pay the city for labor and expenses incurred if the city must intervene and enforce park rules or the city code.
Changes to park rules do not require City Council approval.