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Police warn DOT permit restricts state-road closures to 15 minutes; board asks parade organizers for alternate route
Summary
Gilmanton police said the DOT parade permit limits state-road closures to 15 minutes while the current July Fourth route takes about 35 minutes; the board directed organizers to develop a safety plan using town roads or other routing to avoid DOT timing and liability issues.
Organizers of Gilmanton’s Fourth of July parade were directed to rethink the route after the Board of Selectmen heard that the current path would exceed state permit limits.
Adam Mini, speaking for parade organizers, discussed the event’s historical use of Route 107/140. Police Chief Matthew Currier told the board the Department of Transportation parade permit "strictly limits state road closures to 15 minutes," while the current route takes about 35 minutes, creating safety and liability concerns for the town once the DOT-permitted window ends.
Chief Currier recommended relocating the parade entirely to town-owned roads such as Allens Mill Road or Crystal Lake Park, where barricades can be maintained for the event’s duration. The board directed organizers to research how other towns manage state-road parades and return with a plan that meets DOT constraints and public-safety requirements.
The board also noted that last year’s accident was caused by an individual backing into another vehicle and was not directly caused by parade operations; nonetheless, the DOT time limit remains a constraint on any state-road routing.
