Denver Parks Prohibits Gathering of Vehicles

[chad]

Ok, I am pretty upset. Denver Parks and Rec has just told me that my get together at Bible Park, is not allowed. Last I checked I was part of the public and I have a right to enjoy the park. :eek: :rant: :thumbsdown:

What's wrong with a gathering of Jeeps, in at a park??? (Assumeing everyone is behaving as good citizens). I need help here.

[SUPERGILDO43]

well you will have to find the reason why its in the band.

im sure there is a reason, even though the rule is pretty lamesauce.

find the reason and go from there...

[jimfoo]

Probably want to charge you some group use rate. Seriously, I'd ask them what the difference between using the park like you are, and like the general public is.
Sounds like a bunch of BS to me. Just don't tell them, and meet somewhere else. Gee, what a coincidence that all these Jeeps showed up here!!!

[GRNMEG359]

alright so i just called. If it is under 25 people we don't need a picnic permitt, but we do not reserve the area so some one with a permit could kick us out.

If it is over 25 people we need to fill out a picnic permitt app. and send in 45 dollars. If there is no reserve on the park it will take about 5 minutes...


http://denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=denvergov.org/permitting

[SUPERGILDO43]

being reserved and not allowed are different. is there a miscommunication chad?

[scottycards]

Call a local restaurant, and they will be glad to accomodate you- usually they'll rope off a part of their parking lot.

Then you have food, etc available for everyone, and you don't have to sweat the city thing.

[Colin]

Call a local restaurant, and they will be glad to accomodate you- usually they'll rope off a part of their parking lot.

Then you have food, etc available for everyone, and you don't have to sweat the city thing.

Hooters love groups :thumbsup:

[coaz4x4]

That's why I suggested Anthony's... a park not allowing a group of vehicles in a parking lot bringing their own BBQ does not surprise me... and since I am part of a youth lacrosse organization that uses that park, I don't want to get ticketed and have the Rangers remember me...

[mtntj]

What are parks used for then? Where should the group of vehicles be, if not in the "parking lot"?:confused:

[ColoradoXJ]

just as a former parks employee... a group of vehicles parked in the parking lot takes away available parking spots for PARK USERS. you wouldn't be there for the PARK, you'd be there for the parking LOT... am i guessing correctly? group fees are standard. it cost the parks dept. to have someone specifically go check that park shelter/lot/field after and during a group event to clean up (25 people in a group make more mess than 25 people filtering through during the day).

sux, but that's the honest truth. i'd look into a restaurant. :thumbsup:

[chad]

Ok, so I called back, and broke though the nasty receptionist and spoke to somebody important.

Turns out the nasty receptionist was blowing smoke. We have the right to use the parking lot and the park like everyone else. Since we may have more than 25 people we must use the designated picnic area for the BBQ. The site is available and I am reserving it today for a fee.

We may use the lot, but cannot reserve parking spaces or have a BBQ in the lot. (maybe the receptionist thought we were :shrug:)

As for the restaurant thing, I spent 2 weeks trying to get various restaurants to designate lot space for us. Since most of the restaurant owners don't own the lots, they don't have the right to reserve them. Usually restaurant parking is pretty full on Saturdays around dinner time anyways. I choose the Bible park because usually there is ample public parking to group together. Besides don't you want free hotdogs and hang out in the sun??

Lets set an example by respecting the venue and leaving it clean and not disturb other park users. Sorry for the alarm.

See you then.

PS - If you choose to bring adult beverages please educate yourself on the rules. Thanks.

[Xerius]

I have to put my two cents in. Parks are paid for with tax dollars. Open to the public. If you are going to charge for use of the park, whatever reason, dump the park idea. Pay someone else. F the state! This whole idea that you have to pay someone to come clean up is bogus. If that was the case it would be a deposit and not a fee. Just some lame way to create jobs. Okay, I'm done with my little rant on politics. Sorry, I just registered, by no means was this to be offensive. Just hit a nerve. Tired of paying for stuff with my taxes and then get charged again if I use it. Which park?

[chad]

Welcome to the site. I agree, but I want to use the park, so I pay the fee.

I hope to see you there. Check out the "staging area" for details.

[SUPERGILDO43]

I have to put my two cents in. Parks are paid for with tax dollars. Open to the public. If you are going to charge for use of the park, whatever reason, dump the park idea. Pay someone else. F the state! This whole idea that you have to pay someone to come clean up is bogus. If that was the case it would be a deposit and not a fee. Just some lame way to create jobs. Okay, I'm done with my little rant on politics. Sorry, I just registered, by no means was this to be offensive. Just hit a nerve. Tired of paying for stuff with my taxes and then get charged again if I use it. Which park?

they dont charge for the use of a park. they charge to RESERVE an area of the park.

and thank god someone cleans after some people. they really dont give a shiat and dont clean after themselves, therefore ruining the parks. so shitty park, no park are the results of your decisions? no thanks.

might I remind you that if you dont reserve, there are not ANY fees...

seems like a no brainer:shrug:

[coaz4x4]

might I remind you that if you dont reserve, there are not ANY fees...

seems like a no brainer:shrug:

Ya... and when the gathering reaches a certain size, you have to have a reservation for a pre-planned event, you get ticketed... and don't think parks and rec doesn't check that stuff.

There's a good reason for all of it. And groups do make a ton more mess than individuals...

The government isn't out to get us or prevent us from using parks... but parks are really costly to upkeep, and use does need to be regulated. Just like the roads.

COLORADOXJ is right... the lot is for PARK USERS and we'll inevitably end up using more lot space than just for our vehicles... and a beautiful Sunday afternoon will be busy enough at a big park with a small lot like Bible.

[ColoradoXJ]

I have to put my two cents in. Parks are paid for with tax dollars. Open to the public. If you are going to charge for use of the park, whatever reason, dump the park idea. Pay someone else. F the state! This whole idea that you have to pay someone to come clean up is bogus. If that was the case it would be a deposit and not a fee. Just some lame way to create jobs. Okay, I'm done with my little rant on politics. Sorry, I just registered, by no means was this to be offensive. Just hit a nerve. Tired of paying for stuff with my taxes and then get charged again if I use it. Which park?

okay. i spent 5 years cleaning parks and :eek: park bathrooms. welcome to the site, but this pisses me off. most parks depts. are UNDERSTAFFED, because many municipalities feel other projects are more important. you pay money to have a public area to use, correct. that's fine. however, once you break that "designated number" you have more trash to clean up/remove and more cleaning to do. so you don't want to pay that fee? cool, lets just raise our taxes all around. :thumbsup:


if people were more responsible in the first place, then there wouldn't need to be a staff to pick up their fawkin trash and clean up the sh!t they do in the restrooms. are you gonna volunteer to clean that up? i highly fawkin doubt it.

[coaz4x4]

if people were more responsible in the first place, then there wouldn't need to be a staff to pick up their fawkin trash and clean up the sh!t they do in the restrooms. are you gonna volunteer to clean that up? i highly fawkin doubt it.

x2... I pay enough taxes as is.

Bible park is a mess... I coach a youth lax team there 3 days a week, and the trash is horrendous...i typically snag a couple of hand-fulls off the fields where we play, and from where we stack the goals.

What's the big disconnect here? Be assured when this need for reservations and fee were enacted, it was probably debated and discussed at length... and no one here probably attended that meeting, or any subsequent ones to voice against it. We want parks. We want lots of them, and we want them to be clean. Why in fulfilling this need do people think the government is out to get them, and not let them use the parks??

Sometimes one idiot has to ruin it for everyone... we should know that in the 4x4 community... like the a-hole that ran the new line in Carnage Boulder. The rules are created to govern them, not the responsible ones... so when being the responsible ones, why not follow the rules and realize that?!?!?!?!?

[ColoradoXJ]

correct me if i'm wrong, but your youth lax league pays additional fees to use the fields too, right?

it's a tough situation, because you're right, people want their parks clean. and they KNOW that someone is getting paid to clean those parks and facilities. not like a NF where there is not a designated crew to clean that area. so in my experience, people don't see it as littering, because someone is getting paid to clean that up. what they don't understand is that walking a park for trash and cleaning facilities takes TIME. time that your tax dollars pay for. it also takes away from other projects and maintenance tasks. the parks can't be (or SHOULDN"T be) mowed until the trash is cleaned up, so it fawks up the whole schedule. that is why reservations are made, so that a designated person/crew can maintain that facility during and after the event, so that the normal maintenance crews don't have to deal with it the next day. it also keeps the 'peace' in montioring large gatherings at the parks so that there are not battles and disagreements over use of the facilities. yes, some depts may differ, but that is my experience working for 4 different municipalities around metro denver.

[coaz4x4]

As per my telephone conversation with Parks and Rec.

To reserve the picnic area for 25-100ppm (not like that many will show, but for reference) it's $45.

What the receptionist lady was worried about this morning when the original call was made was that this meet was something that would require a SPECIAL EVENT PERMIT that requires 30 days to clear.

We cannot blame this lady on the phone for thinking that "car club meet" or "auto show" or something phrased similarly would be a bigger event than what we had in mind.

We cannot, however even with the picnic permit, park illegally in any way (no tire or rock climbing... lol) or block off any spaces for participants who are "soon to arrive".

[mtntj]

Seems like alot of red tape bs to use a park that your tax dollars already support. And i don't think that undrstaffed is the whole problem, I'm sure it has a small part in it. The problem is mismangement, same as access rds being closed.Just my .2 cents.

[ColoradoXJ]

Seems like alot of red tape bs to use a park that your tax dollars already support. And i don't think that undrstaffed is the whole problem, I'm sure it has a small part in it. The problem is mismangement, same as access rds being closed.Just my .2 cents.

you're right, it's not the WHOLE problem, but it is a problem. but again, you're talking apples and oranges when comparing municipal parks to FS lands...

it's not red tape. it's call, make the reservation, pay the nominal fee, done. that is pretty easy...

[mtntj]

Not questioning reservation, fees,etc....I'm speaking in regards to getting thingsdone with-in the parks, how it's done most efficient. And yes apples to organes, but same problem. I used it as an example that we all understand.

[ironpiggie]

just as a former parks employee... a group of vehicles parked in the parking lot takes away available parking spots for PARK USERS. you wouldn't be there for the PARK, you'd be there for the parking LOT... am i guessing correctly? group fees are standard. it cost the parks dept. to have someone specifically go check that park shelter/lot/field after and during a group event to clean up (25 people in a group make more mess than 25 people filtering through during the day).

sux, but that's the honest truth. i'd look into a restaurant. :thumbsup:

so only groups over 25 make a mess? my clubs often has turn outs of 50 people at our picnic and we always leave it clean. i've seen groups of four leave it worse. so if no large groups go through, than does no one from parks go check to make sure it's clean? and the parking lot is a part of the park. heck, we'd be off the grass, thus helping to keep the park looking good.

[ColoradoXJ]

i think you may have either missed my point, or i communicated it wrong... let me explain. in MY EXPERIENCE the way a normal day went was to pick up trash in the parks/lots before the mowing crews could get there. on a NORMAL day, that wouldn't be too big of an ordeal. most of the trash i saw was concentrated around the parking lots and pavilions, especially if there was a special/sporting event the night/day before. if there HAD been an event, it easily took twice as long to pic up trash and clean the facilities. easily. so, in order to keep those schedules on time, there would be someone (not always the same person, many departments have rotating 'duty' people that handle it) who would go during an event to collect full trash bags (thereby reducing the amount of trash falling out and being blown around) and pic up stray trash. this made my job (as the daily checker) easier and more efficient. the point i was making was not that ONLY groups of 25 or more make a mess, it was that groups in general provide the chance for more litter and more work to clean up. i applaud your efforts to keep the areas you visit clean, i wish more people were like that. as i said before, if people took responsibility, this would be a dead issue. but many don't. and as i also said, the reservation system also keeps large groups from congregating at the same pavilion at the same time... reducing the chance of unhappy park users. i hope you read the rest of my posts before your reply, cause i feel as though i'm repeating myself. and most of all... it's just my .02

[mtntj]

ironpiggie.... READ first then question. ColoradoXJ will answer with good info. However if you must answer with ?? at least be informed>..