Elgin Fourth of July parade will not move downtown
Elgin's Fourth of July parade will not move downtown this summer, but the idea is still on the table for next year.
The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin, which organizes the parade with support from the city, had advocated moving the parade from the residential neighborhood in Elgin's near northeast side to better showcase the central business district.
That won't happen this year, Mayor David Kaptain and City Manager Sean Stegall said.
A major deterrent is the impending construction work on the Tower Building at 100 E. Chicago St., which will be converted into apartments, Kaptain said. The project is expected to be done by year's end.
Also, city officials need to look at any additional costs and logistics, such as which streets to close down and whether certain floats can navigate tight corners, Kaptain said.
"We wanted to do a study of the costs of extra police. We know it's going to take extra personnel to do it," he said. "We can't rush it and there is no reason to rush it."
The association is moving forward with plans to hold the parade as usual in the residential neighborhood, city officials said. Executive Director Deirdre White and board members Grace Richard and Karin Jones didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
White had said earlier that the Downtown Neighborhood Association's mission is to focus on the economic vitality of downtown Elgin, which in turn would benefit from having paradegoers visit downtown and its businesses.
City staff members will meet with association board members Monday to discuss the parade before finalizing their analysis, Stegall said.
The parade was held downtown until about 2004, when it moved to the adjacent residential neighborhood because of widespread, yearslong construction projects. It has since grown to be attended by 10,000 to 15,000 people who enjoy the shade and lawns along the route, Kaptain said.
"There were never that many people downtown to watch it," Kaptain said. "It's been done like this for a decade. Is it the right thing to do (to move it)? We have to think about that."