City approves $15,000 trial for July 4 parade safety measures

Enumclaw’s City Council on May 26 approved up to $15,000 to fund additional traffic and crowd‑control measures for the July 4 parade on a trial basis, part of a staff and chamber request to improve public safety at large community events.

Councilmember Martineau, who relayed meeting notes with Enumclaw Police Department (EPD), event planners and the chamber, said rising parade attendance and overlapping regional events mean the city needs additional professional safety infrastructure. “The request is for funding of safety of $15,000 per parade, which includes $8,000 to go towards temporary barriers,” Martineau said, describing a rental quote and staffing needs.

Staff explained the logistics and costs of rented aluminum barricades and deployment: an initial vendor quote for full‑route barricades was about $16,000, which the city later reduced by securing government pricing; staff cited an estimate of roughly 4,000 linear feet (about 2,000 feet per side) for a full route and said rental deployment would take multiple crew days. Council members voiced concern about downtown parking loss during deployment, potential business impacts and the time needed to move barriers.

Council debated alternatives including purchasing lighter plastic barricades or limiting barricades to key intersections and increasing staff presence. After discussion, council moved to amend a $30,000 request for two parades to a $15,000 appropriation for the July 4 parade as a trial; the amendment passed and the amended motion passed by voice vote (recorded as 5–1). Staff will work with the chamber, police and public works on logistics and report back after the trial.

The appropriation funds rental and staffing for a trial deployment; staff said they have not yet priced permanent purchases and will evaluate the rental trial’s outcomes before recommending purchase.