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Board approves revised Fireman's Festival parade route and earlier shutdown for staging
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Summary
Festival chair Laffenburg and public safety staff described a revised parade routing and earlier street closures to create a secure staging 'box' for floats; trustees approved the deviation from the special event permit and asked staff and the chief to finalize shutdown details.
Trustees approved a revised route and timing plan for the Fireman's Festival parade after hearing from festival chair Laffenburg and public safety staff.
Laffenburg explained that construction at Cottage Grove School removed a traditional staging area and that planners reviewed alternatives and safety examples from other communities. He described a proposed 'soft shutdown' on Main Street from near BB to Taylor Street with a hard shutdown near the Lake Taylor entrance for a secure staging zone. "We'll be shutting down Main Street... Instead of 11:30, shut it down at 11... At 11:50, everything will get shut down, and then at noon, the parade would start," Laffenburg said.
Staff and the chief reviewed the plan and said they had run it past the fire board and safety committee; trustees expressed appreciation for the planning and problem‑solving and then voted to approve the deviation from the special event permit. A chief present indicated he could finalize hard‑closure details.
The board did not set new permit conditions beyond approving the route and timing changes; staff will coordinate signage (a 'parade starts here' sign was proposed) and final traffic control with the chief.
