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Enumclaw council approves $15,000 trial for July 4 parade safety
Summary
The Enumclaw City Council on May 26 amended and approved a motion to appropriate up to $15,000 for safety infrastructure and staffing for the July 4 parade on a trial basis; administration, police and the Chamber will determine the specific measures.
The Enumclaw City Council voted May 26 to fund a one-time, up-to-$15,000 trial of safety measures for the July 4 parade, approving an amendment that limited a larger earlier request to a single-event trial.
Councilmember Martinell originally proposed funding for barricades and supplemental staffing for two parades, estimating a total request of $30,000 (about $15,000 per parade) with barricade rental quoted at roughly $8,000. Council discussion focused on logistics — storage and deployment of barriers, impacts on downtown parking and businesses, and whether rented or purchased barricades would be more practical.
"The request is for funding of safety of $15,000 per parade, which includes $8,000 to go towards temporary barriers," Councilmember Martineau said, describing quotes for 4,000 linear feet of barricades to cover the route and additional staffing to staff the barriers and staging areas.
Administration staff described operational considerations and trade-offs, including the need for staging time that could require closing streets overnight or paying overtime to deploy the barriers. City staff also said government-contract pricing reduced initial vendor estimates roughly by half from a preliminary quote.
Multiple council members urged a trial approach. "I think we can make a motion up to $15,000 and y'all figure out what the best solution is to use that for the 4th of July," one council member said, urging a limited, evaluative deployment. After an amendment to restrict funding to the July 4 parade and to delegate the specific measures to administration, police and the Chamber, the council approved the amended motion; the mayor recorded the final vote as 5–1.
The approved funds may be used for rented barricades, additional contracted safety staff, or other traffic-control measures deemed appropriate by administration in coordination with the police department and Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce. Councilmembers and staff emphasized that the pilot will inform planning for future events, including the December holiday parade.
The council instructed administration to return to council with a post-trial evaluation and any requests for future funding or permanent purchases.
