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Pueblo West parks staff weigh parade safety, costs and alternatives for Fourth of July event
Summary
Parks and recreation staff reviewed options for the Fourth of July celebration, citing safety concerns about the traditional parade and presenting cost estimates for barricades, security and fireworks. The committee is exploring a shorter route, increased barricading, or a daytime spray‑in‑the‑park event with evening entertainment.
Pueblo West Parks and Recreation staff presented options and cost estimates for the community’s Fourth of July events and urged a cautious approach after safety concerns at recent parades.
Carol Cosby, director of parks and recreation, told the board the traditional water parade once drew many participants but raised increasing safety and logistical problems as attendance grew. Cosby said the district’s event committee considered options including shortening the parade route, moving portions of the parade into a dry/wet sequence with barricades (as practiced in Florence), changing the route to a shorter industrial stretch with district‑owned lots for staging, or shifting to a civic park “spray in the park” format with live entertainment and food trucks that could lead into evening fireworks.
Cosby presented vendor and security quotes the events committee obtained. The committee estimated security/staffing costs would range from about $28,125 (a lower‑security staffing model) to roughly $70,000 under more protective staffing ratios. Barricade rental for a route of approximately 4,000 feet per side was quoted at about $8,600. Fireworks were estimated at about $35,000. Cosby presented an “ideal” fully barricaded and staffed parade scenario totaling about $113,600; the committee’s more standard scenario was roughly $72,000.
Board members discussed partnering with Pueblo County for a joint parade or parade support; Cosby said she had contacted the county manager but had not yet received a firm commitment. Several board members noted positive community feedback to last year’s spray‑in‑the‑park event and suggested moving the community portion later in the day to allow for evening entertainment and fireworks and reduce midday heat exposure. Staff said they will continue meeting monthly with the events committee to finalize a plan and cost mitigation measures.
Cosby said safety — particularly pedestrian access and vehicle interactions on a long route — and the inability to secure enough qualified security personnel were the principal drivers in reconsidering the parade format. The events committee will return to the board with a recommended plan that balances community participation with safety and fiscal responsibility.
