Starting Friday night, city parks in Boulder will be off-limits to campers and loiterers. City officials say the move is a response to health and safety concerns from an Occupy Boulder encampment just outside the municipal building.
City Manager Jane Brautigam signed the new rule into effect Thursday, after it was approved by the Boulder city council earlier this week. The Daily Camera reports that under the new rule, city-owned parks will be closed from 11 pm to 5 am.
Sarah Huntley, spokeswoman for the City Manager, says the rule applies specifically to people staying in one place during those overnight hours, and not to people moving through the parks.
“The rule has no bearing at all on people who are jogging, or using the trails, or walking or passing through, or are on their bikes. It’s not designed to stop that type of activity,” she adds, citing several emails from concerned residents.
The rule says people loitering or camping in the parks during those hours could be ticketed for trespassing, which is punishable with fines and jail time. In addition, property left overnight will be considered abandoned and could be removed by the city.
