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City staff say historic Vigilante Parade can proceed downtown with new safety limits; organizers urge clearer resource support
Summary
City staff reported they can retain the historic downtown route for the Vigilante Parade if conditions are met — including vehicle size limits, additional barriers and crowd management — and asked to finalize permits with the school district. Event organizers and businesses urged clearer communication and shared safety resources.
City Manager Burton updated the Helena City Commission on March 19 about ongoing work to determine a safe route and mitigation for the annual Vigilante Parade. Burton said staff have been meeting with the fire chief, police chief, director of transportation and school officials and that no final decision by the commission had been made earlier than the meeting’s memo.
After joint review with public safety and the school district, Burton said staff believe the historic route through the walking mall can proceed with conditions: reduced vehicle sizes (nothing larger than a one‑ton truck and a 25‑foot trailer), stricter spacing of vehicles, unobstructed emergency lanes on Sixth Avenue and Last Chance, additional barriers on the mall and more crowd managers to supervise vehicle passage through the mall.
"We feel that that's doable, on a safe basis," Burton said, adding that staff measured the mall and coordinated with the school district about vehicle sizes and spacing.
Police and fire officials at the meeting emphasized an integrated safety plan. Chief Petty and other public safety officials described the recommendations as coordinated and precautionary. Commissioners asked staff to continue developing vetted parade routes that parade organizers could select and to finalize permitting details with parade sponsors.
Event organizers and downtown stakeholders who spoke during public comment largely supported keeping the parade downtown if safety measures are in place. Riley Tubbs, a downtown business representative, called for improved advance communication and suggested the city expand outreach channels such as social media to ensure organizers and businesses hear safety updates promptly. Karen English, coordinator for the Stampede Parade, and John Jackson of the Shriners asked the commission to maintain downtown parade access and expressed concern about the availability of volunteers, barriers and training for crowd management.
The commission directed staff to finalize the permit application with the school district and parade sponsors and to proceed with the route if the described mitigation measures are implemented. Staff also said additional conversations will continue during the permitting process and that further details will be brought back to the commission for approval where required.
