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Council approves $15,000 trial for July 4 parade safety; original $30,000 proposal amended
Summary
After staff described logistics and vendors' quotes, the council amended an initial $30,000 request for two parades and approved up to $15,000 on a trial basis for the July 4 parade to cover barricades and staffing; the amendment passed and administration will decide deployment details.
Enumclaw City Council approved a motion to appropriate up to $15,000 for a trial of additional traffic-safety measures for the July 4 parade after discussion of logistics, vendor quotes and business impacts.
Councilmember Martineau had proposed funding two parades at $15,000 each (for a total of $30,000), saying, “The request is for funding of safety of $15,000 per parade, which includes $8,000 to go towards temporary barriers to put up, and the balance of the 15 for each parade is to hire additional staffing.” Council discussed cost estimates, staging, and whether to rent or purchase plastic barricades as a longer-term solution.
Staff explained that initial quotes for barricades covered approximately 4,000 linear feet (2,000 feet per side) and that government contract pricing could significantly reduce rental costs compared with retail quotes. Deployment is labor-intensive (3–4 days for setup/takedown) and could require street closures during staging; staff raised scheduling challenges because of a motor cruise scheduled July 3.
Councilmembers expressed concern about lost downtown parking during deployment and potential business impacts, and some proposed lower-cost or hybrid approaches (key intersections plus increased staffing). After discussion, a councilmember moved to amend the original motion to appropriate up to $15,000 for the July 4 parade on a trial basis, with administration and the police department to determine specific measures; that amendment was seconded and passed. The amended motion and resulting expenditure authorization passed by a 5–1 vote.
Administration was directed to coordinate with the Chamber, police and public-works staff to finalize barricade deployment, staffing and messaging; staff will report back to council after the trial deployment to inform decisions about December and future parades.
