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Board declines immediate change to July 4 parade route; attorney warns against crossing Capitol Drive
Summary
After extended discussion of security and logistics, the Shorewood Village Board took no action on changing the Fourth of July parade route. The village attorney advised that routes crossing Capitol Drive carry higher liability because the road cannot be fully closed.
The Village Board of Shorewood concluded discussion on the Fourth of July parade routing and took no action to alter the existing policy this year, leaving the current policy in place and directing that further review happen outside the meeting.
Trustee Stokbrand moved to direct staff to use the same parade route for both 2025 and 2026; the motion failed for lack of a second. Trustees debated whether to send the item back to committee to explore alternate routes or to budget for updated barricades and staffing. Several trustees said they supported further study and community engagement but noted procurement lead times and the difficulty of ordering equipment with summer events approaching.
Village Attorney Bair cautioned the board from a liability perspective, saying any route that crosses Capitol Drive ‘‘retains a higher risk to participants, attendees, and staff’’ because Capitol Drive cannot be hard‑closed and traffic must still be allowed through. "My advice to you from a liability perspective is either put the whole thing north of Capitol or put the whole thing south of Capitol, but don't cross Capitol," Bair said.
Trustees also discussed funding for barricades and other equipment. One trustee said capital reserves of about $100,000 exist in a contingency fund but staff later said the finance director would need to be consulted before using those funds for parade equipment. With no second to the motion and no alternative motion adopted, the item remained under existing policy and will be revisited if the board or a committee moves to reconsider it.
