Residents and council discuss Sherwood Avenue Halloween safety; council leaves management to city staff

Dozens of residents and council members on Sept. 17 discussed safety, services and stewardship of the longstanding Sherwood Avenue Halloween trick‑or‑treat event. Council member Chase requested the item to review safety and liability; the council did not adopt any ordinance or policy change but asked staff to continue current support and consider modest safety measures.

What residents said: Multiple residents who live on Sherwood Avenue described the event as a cherished, neighborhood‑led tradition that draws large crowds. Ryan Barnett, a Sherwood resident, said the event “is really about the kids,” and urged the city to focus on safety while preserving the tradition. Resident Mindy Gibson, who served previously on the council and lives on Sherwood, said she was disappointed by how the agenda item was communicated and urged the council not to “fix” something she described as working: “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

Public‑safety and operational concerns: Residents and staff raised recurring issues: porta‑potty capacity, trash and cleanup, parking and pedestrian/vehicle mixing, and ensuring access for first responders. Gail Anderson, who said she was told at closing when she bought her house that the neighborhood hosts a large Halloween, reported that last year she believed the event drew “2,400” trick‑or‑treaters (resident estimate). Multiple speakers urged additional police visibility and physical controls to keep vehicles away from the densest pedestrian areas.

Staff proposals and suggestions discussed during the meeting included: closing Orange Street to nonlocal traffic to preserve an emergency ingress/egress route for Sherwood; adding traffic cones at specific intersections (Park and Tangelo) to improve flow; deploying a fourth officer on overtime to assist parking and traffic control; staging the city’s golf‑cart ambulance in a visible, accessible location; and adding more porta‑potties spaced along the route. Staff also noted the event is not formally permitted as a special event; that process would allow the city to permit open containers and impose formal time and safety requirements, but the event has historically evolved as a grassroots gathering with limited formal sponsorship.

Council direction: After hearing residents and staff, the council’s consensus was to continue the current staffing and support model — barricades, porta‑potties and additional officers on duty — handled at the staff level, and to consider incremental changes (spacing porta‑potties, additional cones, staging medical response, and increased police presence during peak hours). Council members said that if staff identifies material new costs or risks, staff should return to the council with recommendations. Council members emphasized preserving the event’s neighborhood character while addressing safety.

Noted operational points: Staff said the city historically places three additional officers on the street for the event and provides barricades and porta‑potties; residents reported trash is usually cleaned up the next day by volunteers. Several residents noted the event’s busiest hours tend to be in the early evening (roughly 5–9 p.m.), with younger children arriving earlier and high‑school‑age crowds later.

Why it matters: Sherwood Avenue’s Halloween night draws large crowds to a residential street. The discussion flagged practical safety, sanitation and access issues and affirmed a low‑intervention approach by the city while asking staff to refine on‑the‑ground safety measures.

What’s next: Staff will continue to manage barricades, porta‑potties and additional policing as in prior years and staff will review the operational suggestions discussed and return to council only if new, significant costs or risks are identified.