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Residents raise parade safety concerns; council and police commit to barricades next year
Summary
At a Village of East Canton council meeting, residents said vehicles were able to approach the parade route this year; police and council members said staffing limits contributed and pledged improved barricades and coordination for next year.
Residents told the Village of East Canton council that traffic controls around this year’s town parade were inadequate and that vehicles were able to enter parade areas, creating safety concerns for children and bystanders.
A resident who said her 6-year-old rode in the parade described seeing Route 172 “wide open” and asked why barricades and officers were not positioned at key intersections. “All I could think of is my baby is on a wagon over there,” the resident said during the public-comment portion of the meeting.
Chief Derek Contos, the village’s police chief, said the department had diverted traffic ahead of the village and closed major approaches but that inside-village barricades and staffing were insufficient this year. “We have a limited number of officers to work,” Chief Contos said. He said officers who were blocking intersections had to remain available to answer calls, and that having officers physically man barricades can leave the village short for emergency responses.
Council members and the chief said they had already discussed changes and agreed on a combined approach for next year: continue diverting through traffic outside the village and add barricades at side streets and major intersections, with personnel assigned to hold them in place. “If we don’t have them, we’ll buy them,” a council member said; the chief added the village will seek additional staffing support from the fire department and service department to staff barricades.
Speakers at the meeting pressed the council for clearer coordination among safety services and for placing officers at major intersections (31, 72 and 44 were mentioned). Council and police agreed to review staffing and to coordinate with other safety services so that barricades are staffed, not just placed, noting past incidents where residents moved barricades.
The council and police did not adopt a formal ordinance or set a funding line during the meeting. Instead, officials described this as a planning and staffing change that they will implement before next year’s parade.
Residents said they appreciated the pledge and urged the village to make the change permanent to prevent injuries.
