Plans for what started as a small community St. Patrick’s Day parade late Saturday morning gained traction, stirring controversy and confusion before receiving official support from Lower Burrell Council.
The estimated 20-minute parade on Leechburg Road, from Nevada Street at Stewart Elementary School to Hillcrest Shopping Center at Leechburg and Wildlife Lodge roads, was billed as a small, feel-good event presented by the community on Saturday.
But interest in the parade grew, with more community groups wanting to participate. That caught the interest of city hall.
The city sent organizers a letter late last week, telling them that Leechburg Road could not be closed for the parade and insurance would be lacking if someone was injured.
Typically, closing a state road such as Leechburg Road requires city approval and permits from PennDOT. The PennDOT permits can take two months to secure, officials said.
One of the parade organizers, Terry McClain, said he was displeased to receive the city letter delivered by a constable.
But after receiving city council’s approval Monday, he said he is elated. McClain has worked on multi-community events in the past, including the Fallen Officer Food Drive and the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Ride.
“We couldn’t be happier to have the blessing of city council,” he said. “This did not come without some 11th-hour work by Chris Fabry and city council, Eric Felack, Leslie Zellers, ‘Mogie’ from the Irish Pub and all of the others who have been behind the scenes making this possible.”
Felack, chief of staff for state Rep. Bob Brooks, R-Murrysville, worked with Brooks and PennDOT to hammer out the street closure permit. Felack said he expects to the permit to be finalized by PennDOT on Thursday. The parade is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“We contacted the right people at PennDOT and told them we are trying to have a little fun in Lower Burrell and can we expedite this,” Felack said. “They were very accommodating.”
On Monday, Councilman Chris Fabry asked council to formally approve the parade. Council did so on a 4-0 vote, with Councilman Rob Hamilton absent.
“There seemed to be confusion about protocols to be in place for the parade,” Fabry said. “I received phone calls on different aspects and at one point someone asked me to see if the city would sanction the event.”
There was an outpouring of support for the parade in social media that quickly grew into community organizations wanting to be involved, Fabry said.
“At that point, council wanted to make sure that the safety of residents is number one in our books and everything was covered,” he said.
Fabry said the parade organizers secured insurance for the event and others chipped in to handle other details.
