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GRAND LAKE — Citing safety and insurance concerns, Grand Lake officials plan to eliminate the water zone area from the town’s popular Buffalo Days Parade.
Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce Director Emily Hagen addressed the town board of trustees Monday evening regarding the liability of having a water zone, where people are soaked by squirt guns and water balloons along the parade route.
The water zone has existed as part of the Buffalo Days Parade, held annually in July, for several years, according to Hagen. Though, over time, the dynamic of the water has evolved.
“Initially it was intended to be squirt guns, but it has turned into something much more aggressive,” Hagen told the board. “When you ask people about the water zone now, they will tell stories about frozen water balloons and pressurized water tanks.
“We don’t want to do away with the water element, we just want to do it wiser and in a family-friendly way.”
Water shot from a pressurized tank was enough to break a car window during the parade two years ago, and Grand Lake Mayor Jim Peterson said people were hurt in the water zone at last year’s parade.
“We can’t get insurance if we allow it,” Peterson said, referencing a conversation with the town’s attorney. “If we sanction it, we are liable.”
Peterson indicated he was personally in favor of eliminating the water zone.
Keith Kratz, a business owner in Grand Lake, offered comments during the Monday meeting in support of Hagen.
Kratz and his wife own and operate Studio 8369, a fine art gallery located at the far eastern end of Grand Avenue in the middle of the block that has historically served as the location for the water zone activities. He noted the impacts of the event on business and stressed the ecological effect of water balloon fragments littering the streets of town.
“Something has to change before someone gets hurt,” Kratz told the board. “I would support this being moved somewhere else in town.”
Hagen said she hopes to move the water area to a new location, a move supported by the Grand Lake Fire Department, though she stressed the importance of controlling the event to ensure safety.
A potential new location discussed was the Lakefront Park area south of Grand Avenue on Lake Avenue.
The chamber’s parade applications for this year will clearly state that water elements are not allowed on floats, according to Hagen. There still, however, existed the need to prevent spectators and parade attendees from engaging in water fights during the event. Officials with the Grand County Sheriff’s Office had recommended the passage of an emergency ordinance to that effect, which would allow law enforcement to enforce the prohibition.
“We have worked with the chamber and talked to people from town. We have the same concerns,” Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said. “Fun turns into chaos, and we don’t want to see anybody get hurt.”
The Grand Lake board voted unanimously to direct town staff to develop an emergency ordinance prohibiting water elements within the town’s parades. The emergency ordinance will appear before the town board for a formal vote June 24.