Shorewood committee votes 2-1 to direct staff to use modified 2024 July 4 parade route

The Community and Business Relations Committee voted 2-1 to direct staff to proceed with the modified 2024 July 4 parade route for the village’s 2025 celebration.

The committee’s recommendation followed staff briefing on safety plans and cost comparisons and more than an hour of trustee discussion about inclusion, safety and expense. Assistant Village Manager Anderson presented two security/traffic-control scenarios and the associated costs.

Anderson said the scenario that kept Jersey barriers in place was “gonna be $39,355,” and that a modular vehicle-barrier rental option would carry a $34,000 rental cost; Anderson also said “in either scenario, we would still need additional class 3 barricades as well as roll up signage, and digital message board rental and private armed security if we went back to the original route.” Anderson added that the modular-barrier option produced “a new total taking out Jersey barriers [of] 60,155,” as shown in the memo distributed to the committee.

Trustees split along two main lines. One trustee argued repeatedly that the historic route brings events deeper into the village’s south side and fosters inclusion, saying the parade is “the only thing that that goes to the south of the village” and that sometimes local government must make difficult choices to ensure equitable access. Another trustee said staff and department heads had advised modifying the route for safety, capacity and cost reasons and said he preferred keeping the 2024 route “in the interest of safety and saving around $40,000.”

Resident Jennifer Cooney Vulpes, who identified herself at the microphone as living on North Alpine Avenue, urged the board to restore the traditional route. “I really love the traditional route. I feel like this parade goes through the whole town,” she said, and asked the board to “please, in 2027, go back to the original route” if the committee’s recommendation stands for 2025.

Committee members discussed whether the committee’s action was a recommendation to the full village board or a standalone committee-level direction to staff; the chair clarified the group had been asked to provide a recommendation and adjusted the meeting language accordingly before the vote.

The motion to direct staff to proceed with the modified 2024 parade route was made, seconded, and passed on a 2-to-1 voice vote. The committee did not adopt a separate motion to place a final decision on the full village board agenda that evening.

The committee’s action directs staff to implement the modified 2024 route and associated activities for July 4 and to proceed with required rentals, barricades and security under the scenario the committee endorsed. The record shows competing trustee concerns about community inclusion and safety as the primary issues underlying the decision.

The committee meeting record does not specify a final funding source for any additional costs beyond the line items in the staff memo; trustees noted the city had received public emails both urging a return to the historic route and urging fiscal restraint.

The committee closed the agenda item after the vote. The matter may be reviewed or acted on further by the full village board if the board schedules it for a future meeting.