SUBMITTED REPORT
New rules for San Marcos community parks took effect on Jan. 1, aimed at achieving safer, cleaner, more family-friendly parks and protecting the environment.
The ordinance bans public display and consumption of alcohol in all city parks, similar to rules in effect at Texas, Hays County and Texas State University parks.
The rules allow park patrons to have alcohol in rented special event areas (such as pavilions and park facilities) or during active water activities in the San Marcos River (tubing, kayaking and canoeing).
Patrons bringing alcohol to consume while on the river must use designated access and exit points at City Park and Rio Vista Park. Signs designating these areas will be posted early in the new year.
City Marshal Ken Bell and Jeff Caldwell, park ranger manager, are heading up efforts to reach out to the community with information about the rules that were adopted by the city council last May, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2013.
Bell, the park rangers and the parks and recreation department are working with community organizations and park patrons to bring everyone up to speed. Staff members are available to speak to groups about the rules.
“Many people who use our parks thought the rules were already in place last summer,” said Bell. “We appreciate the level of cooperation we have received and will continue working with park patrons to make sure they understand and comply with the rules.”
The new park rules:
• Prohibit the public display and consumption of alcohol in city parks
• Prohibit alcohol on city owned dams, spillways and bridges
• Ban the use of Styrofoam-type products in parks and the river, including coolers, ice chests, cups, plates, toys, floats, kickboards, rings or swim gear. Styrofoam liners used as floatation devices or dock supports are exempt if they are encapsulated by a water-based acrylic or latex coating or within a boat
• Create tobacco-free zones in play areas and athletic fields
• Require container lids to be secured in the San Marcos River
• Allow the use of barbecue pits and pop-up tents in designated areas
• Regulate the use of spear guns and gigs in the San Marcos River for wildlife management purposes
• Apply park rules in city natural areas
• Increase the minimum fines for littering to $250 in the river and parks
Bell noted that the new rules will complement the Habitat Conservation Plan activities along the San Marcos River, which get underway in 2013 to protect endangered species. Litter reduction, prohibition of styrofoam products and the public education effort will assist both programs.
The city council approved the park rules in May after recommendations for their adoption from the parks and recreation advisory board, the River Task Force and the city’s neighborhood commission. The rules will be reviewed by the city council in January 2014, after they have been in effect for a year.
For more information, contact the Neighborhood Services Department at (512) 393-8470, Parks & Recreation at 393-8400.
