Photo: Town Recreation staffers Amanda Gadomski and Darren Lewis discuss the problems inherent in staging a 2025 Fourth of July parade with the Town Council on February 18.
The folks from Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are coming to town next week, on Thursday February 27, to share some of the details about the reconstruction of Highway 160 through Pagosa Springs’ downtown. The meeting will be held at 6:00pm at Motel SOCO, 651 West Highway 160.
Project Information Officers (PIOs) Meredith Greene and Tracy Trulove will share key updates following a pre-construction meeting with CDOT and contractor WW Clyde on February 25 and 26. During that meeting, the project’s start date and rollout schedule will be finalized, and these important details will be shared at the Cone Zone Update.
WW Clyde is scheduled to begin tearing up the street in mid- March. Half the vehicle lanes will disappear, temporarily, along all of the on-street parking through the center of downtown. “Temporarily” meaning, for at least two years, it would seem. The asphalt surface between 8th Street and 1st Street will be replaced with a more-durable concrete roadway.
We will likely be happy with the improved surface, in two years. But in the meantime… it’s going to be a royal pain.
Traditionally — for the past several decades — the Pagosa Rotary Club had hosted an annual July Fourth parade through the heart of downtown. The parade involved closing several blocks of Highway 160 to vehicle traffic, and routing the vehicles along Lewis Street, with the Rotary Club and the Town government sharing the parade organization and supervision duties.
A few years ago, the Rotary Club handed the entire responsibility for the parade over to the Town government.
Last summer, the Town government decided to relocate the parade route from Highway 160 to Hot Springs Boulevard. The change was, in a sense, a ‘dry run’… an parade experiment… because everyone knew the CDOT project in 2025 and 2026 would make the traditional parade route impossible.
At the Pagosa Springs Town Council meeting last night, Recreation Director Darren Lewis and Recreation Supervisor Amanda Gadomski presented the Council with three possible ideas for July Fourth 2025. If the Town wants a parade. Or maybe something vaguely resembling a parade.
Mr. Lewis and Ms. Gadomski had sought advice from a planning team, and had a few slides to show, and discuss.
One possibility: the same basic route used in 2024. The red line, below, is the likely parade route. The orange line is the ‘staging area’.
The black line is the CDOT construction zone… that is, the new disaster zone… (and the traditional parade route…)
The parade last year down Hot Springs Boulevard elicited mixed reviews from the general public. Some people reported disappointment; some thought it was wonderful. People trying to access the Springs Resort or the arts and crafts show in Town Park had been among those complaining.
The input from the 26 volunteers and employees, who had supervised and directed the parade and experienced the “on the spot complaints” from the public, were less than positive.
But if this route is attempted again this year, we were told, one problem might be “parking”.
There will be no parking available along Highway 160.
One of the main auxiliary parking lots intended to help address the limited downtown parking, for the next two years, is a large, open field owned by the Springs Resort, across from the U.S. Post Office. But a Hot Springs parade route would make that improvised parking lot inaccessible to vehicles.
But the bigger problem might be a perceived need to completely close Hot Springs Boulevard for safety reasons. This could make access in and out of our two key hot springs resorts impossible for an entire morning, and would also affect access to, and parking for, the Chamber’s scheduled arts and crafts show in Town Park.
From the Town Council’s agenda packet, discussing Option 1:
Traffic & Safety Risks: Highway closures create gridlock, requiring significant staffing and enforcement — volunteers often struggle to manage crowds.
Construction Impact: Increased logistical difficulties and parking scarcity near the highway and Town Park.
Key Concern: Is this high-traffic, high-stress experience ideal while our main streets are under construction? If we proceed, a clear plan is needed for parking solutions, additional staffing, and better public communication.
The staffing cost for last year’s parade, we were told, amounted to about $14,000. And it also meant that Town staff was working at a high-stress event, on a national holiday.
Maybe just blow the whole thing off? For this year and next?
Certain members of the Town Council expressed the fear that, if the Town government fails to stage the parade this year, and again next year, the parade might never return.
We’ve already lost the carnival rides that used to set up in Town Park for the first 25 years I lived here. That carnival, like the July Fourth parade, was an element of our ‘small town’ community identity, back when ‘small town’ implied ‘family friendly’.
How about Option 2?
Option 2: Community Celebration at Yamaguchi Park 4-8pm
(Less Traffic, More Parking Options)
Safer, Controlled Event: Eliminates street closures and traffic management concerns. Families can enjoy an open, interactive space without safety risks from moving vehicles.
Alternative Activities: Free live music (4-8 PM) put on by outside entity. Staff can organize bouncy houses from an outside company. Water truck by fire department, police cars, and town trucks to add entertainment for kids to walk by.
Parking Availability: Centralized parking at Yamaguchi Park with High school parking lot and surrounding areas, reducing congestion and frustration. Length of time is open to more flexibility to explore Pagosa.
Key Benefit: A structured, family-friendly event in a designated space with better parking availability and reduced staff burden.
Yes, less traffic and more parking options. But… where’s the parade? We don’t have a parade in this option. It’s more like, a carnival without any rides.
Is it possible that Pagosa Springs has seen its last Fourth of July parade?
But wait… There’s Option 3.