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After crowded Halloween parade, Vienna council weighs fencing to protect spectators and town plantings
Summary
Following reports of crowding and children wandering into the street this year, parks staff proposed installing fencing along the Halloween parade route (estimated $25,000) to protect public safety and town landscaping; council members were split over safety and preserving tradition and asked staff to refine placement, policing and outreach plans.
Council members and staff spent an extended portion of the March 17 work session debating proposed safety measures for Vienna's Halloween parade after staff reported this year's event featured extensive crowding and repeated incursions into the street.
Parks staff recommended installing crowd-control fencing along the parade route to keep spectators off the planted landscape beds and reduce the number of people standing in the travel lane. The cost estimate discussed by staff and council was approximately $25,000 for labor to deploy and remove the fencing for the event; staff said the town already owns stakes and plastic fencing pieces so the budget primarily covers labor and installation.
"It will be along the entire parade route on both sides," the parks director said when asked how the fencing would be deployed; staff said the police department would help determine where openings should exist to allow safe crossing points and to station officers at critical locations.
Some council members strongly supported the fencing as a safety improvement that would also protect recently installed landscaping, pointing to videos and resident complaints showing children running between floats and into the street. Others warned the change could alter a long-standing community tradition: parents who bring small children and blankets historically sit close to the route and many worried metal barriers would make the event feel more restrictive.
Council members proposed compromise approaches, such as limiting fencing to trouble spots (near streetlights/corners), keeping gaps at regular intervals with police presence, tighter gap control for parade participants so floats are closer together, and stronger pre-event outreach to explain the changes to residents.
No formal decision was made; staff will coordinate with police on openings and staffing needs, refine cost estimates and circulation plans, and flag the item for further council consideration during the budget process.
Next steps: staff to return with a refined plan (placement map, police staffing, exact cost), and outreach language to tell residents about changes before the parade.
